Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud (2) attends training camp at City National Arena Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023 | 6:55 p.m.
Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud underwent surgery for an upper-body injury he sustained during a preseason game and is week-to-week, the team announced Thursday.
The injury occurred against Colorado on Sept. 25. Whitecloud was hit by the Avalanche's Kurtis MacDermid and played 3:46 before leaving in the first period.
Coach Bruce Cassidy ruled Whitecloud out for the rest of the preseason last Friday, and said as recently as Wednesday that "until he gets on the ice, hard to say" on his status.
Losing the 26-year-old Whitecloud five days before the Golden Knights' season opener against Seattle, the night they raise their Stanley Cup banner to the rafters of T-Mobile Arena, is a crucial blow to arguably Vegas' biggest strength — its defensive group.
Whitecloud was to begin the season at his usual right-side, third-pairing role with Nic Hague. That opens up a roster spot that needs to be decided on in the coming days.
It's likely that veteran defenseman Ben Hutton will fill in during Whitecloud's absence. Hutton, 30, played 31 games last season and scored eight points (three goals, five assists) while playing up and down the lineup. He has 21 points in 99 games the last two seasons in Vegas.
Another name that might get a look is Kaedan Korczak, the top blue line prospect in the organization. Cassidy said he's seen some similarities between Korczak and Whitecloud and has shown comfortability playing on the right side.
Whitecloud has played 59 games each of the last two seasons. He missed two months last season with an upper-body injury, and stretches of time in 2022 with a back issue and a broken foot.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
