Golden Knights’ Noah Hanifin activated off of IR; will return vs. Red Wings
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin has been activated off of injured reserve, and is set to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.
Hanifin had missed the last 10 games due to an undisclosed injury that he sustained in the Golden Knights’ season opener, a 6-5 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Hanifin had played 24:00 of ice time in the game and never left, so the cause of his injury was never confirmed. Vegas went 6-2-2 in Hanifin’s absence.
Hanifin will enter the lineup in place of Ben Hutton, who had replaced the Boston, Massachusetts product for all 10 games he was hurt. Hutton had three assists during his time in the lineup.
Hanifin will also replace Hutton’s spot alongside Zach Whitecloud in the lineup, who was Hanifin’s partner for the season opener as well. The duo kept the score even at 1-1 and had a 51.47% 5v5 score-adjusted expected goal share in 16:01 of ice time in the game. Hanifin will also quarterback the second power play unit.
Hanifin did not have a point in his lone game so far this season, but did have three shots, two hits, two giveaways and one takeaway. He’s coming off of his first full season with the Golden Knights, where he performed a bit above his usual rate with 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points in 80 games, as well as one goal and four assists for five points in 11 playoff games.
Hanifin joined the Golden Knights at the 2024 trade deadline in a deal that sent Daniil Miromanov, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick to the Calgary Flames. Hanifin then signed an extension with the Golden Knights about a month later, an eight-year contract with a cap hit of $7.35 million that he is currently in the second year of.
The Golden Knights will hope that Hanifin’s return can help them out of their current slump of three losses in four games when they host the Red Wings on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PST. Vegas is currently third in the Pacific Division with a 6-2-3 record.