Mark Stone may now suit up for the Vegas Golden Knights, but he says his time with the Ottawa Senators will always be special to him.

Stone posted a thank you and farewell to Ottawa's fans on his Twitter account Wednesday, two days after he was dealt to the Golden Knights before the NHL trade deadline.

The trade was part of a rough week for the Senators, who traded top forwards Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel after failing to sign them to extensions.

Stone was drafted 178th overall by Ottawa in 2010 and quickly blossomed into one of the Senators' most reliable and popular players.

Leading scorer

He had 123 goals and 188 assists over 366 regular-season games in Ottawa, and remains the Senators' leading scorer this season with 28 goals and 34 assists in 59 games.

"I came to Ottawa a boy and leave a man," the 26-year-old Winnipeg native said.

"I am so grateful for all that helped guide me, teach me and support me.

"I wish the Sens the greatest of success in the future. There are awesome people on and around the team, and the team will rise again."