Knights defenseman out indefinitely, but another close to return

The Vegas Golden Knights will be without one of their reliable defensemen for the foreseeable future, as Noah Hanifin is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Hanifin left in the third period of Sunday’s 4-1 win in Buffalo after taking a hit into the boards from Sabres forward Tyson Kozak.

Per the broadcast, Noah Hanifin went down the tunnel after this hit. Not on the bench. https://t.co/jWWGnoycdy

— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) November 8, 2026

The 29-year-old doesn’t miss time often. Hanifin has been one of the more durable players in the league. He’s missed 17 games since the 2021-22 season, and missed 10 last season because of an upper-body injury — the first significant injury of his career.

Hanifin has six points in 19 games, but has been one of the Knights’ most consistent end-to-end blue liners. He started the season playing on his off side and developed strong chemistry with Jeremy Lauzon.

Hanifin is second on the Knights in ice time, averaging 20:24 per night.

“I thought (Hanifin) got off to a real good start to the year,” coach Ryan Craig said. “He first came in with the mindset to starting on the right side. He accepted that and worked at it, and we saw the results of that.

“We’re going to miss him, but it’s an opportunity for someone else.”

One of those could be defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, who was a full-contact participant at practice Tuesday and could return for Wednesday’s game against the Utah Mammoth.

Wotherspoon has not played since Oct. 10 with an upper-body injury. He started the year skating with Rasmus Andersson, but the pair struggled together.

The 29-year-old, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has zero points and is a minus-6.

Wotherspoon skated with Dylan Coghlan in Hanifin’s place at practice.

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.