Golden Knights Captain Mark Stone's Wife Is Getting In On The LTIR Jokes During NHL Playoffs

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone's wife is having some fun with the controversy surrounding her husband's timely return to the lineup.

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights are locked in a heck of a battle with the Dallas Stars, and Game 5 will take place on Wednesday night in Dallas.

The first goal of the series belonged to Stone and while he's been kind of quiet on the scoresheet since, his return and subsequent tally reignited discussions about Vegas' use of the long-term injured reserve that helps them navigate the salary cap.

For the last couple of seasons, Stone got hurt in February and then was placed on LTIR (this year it was after healing up from a lacerated spleen which sounds like one of the most painful things ever, but I'm not 100% sure what a spleen does). This freed up space for the team to make aggressive moves at the trade deadline.

Both this season and last season, Stone returned to the lineup in time for the playoffs. 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 04: Mark Stone #61 of the Vegas Golden Knights greets his wife Hayley and daughter Scarlett prior to a game against the St. Louis Blues at T-Mobile Arena on December 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images)

The thing is that once the postseason starts, the salary cap is no longer applicable. This has allowed Vegas to use a lineup that would not be allowed during the regular season.

What they're doing is within the current rules, and Vegas isn't the first or only team to do it — the Lightning typically did the same thing during their Cup-winning years. 

Still, it has become a running joke with hockey fans, and Mrs. Stone is in on it.

Hayley Stone took a photo with a fan wearing a replica of her husband's Winter Classic sweater, only the "STONE" nameplate has been swapped with one that reads, "LTIR." 

That's hilarious, although something tells me Stars fans won't find it quite as amusing.

But again, nothing Vegas is doing is against the rules at the moment. It's going to be up to the NHL to stitch up these loopholes, but that's only if they want to.

You'd have to believe that any team that finds themselves in a similar situation would do the same thing because we've seen that it works.