Vegas Golden Knights fans don't want to think about the hit that Michael Bunting administered on Brayden McNabb on Wednesday. It was the type of hit that rustled Keegan Kolesar's jimmies, leading him to try and fight the entire Predators bench. But there was a good reason for Kolesar wanting to fight the entire bench.
According to SinBin.Vegas, McNabb has been termed week-to-week with an upper-body injury. That means that the Golden Knights will be without both top-pair defensemen on week-to-week designations.
VGK has termed Brayden McNabb as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) January 2, 2026
This season, McNabb has been quiet on the offensive side, scoring two goals and one assist in 38 games. However, that's not where his bread and butter come from. Instead, it's the defensive side of things where he forechecks and backchecks well.
The Original Misft has 98 blocked shots, 63 hits, and 13 takeaways in those 38 games. He's meant to be the premier stay-at-home defenseman, pairing well alongside Theodore on the top unit. But that's the biggest problem for the Golden Knights right now. Neither blue liner is active, leaving Vegas to rely on Zach Whitecloud for the top unit (not that there's anything wrong with Whitecloud as a person).
The Golden Knights need the blue line reinforcements to come through with both Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb out
It's the old saying of "one step forward and two steps back." You get Jack Eichel back for the Golden Knights and that's excellent news. He helps the special teams, offense, and two-way game, making the Golden Knights much better.
But losing McNabb as a sacrifice hurts. The Misfit has proven himself to be one of the most reliable back-end defensemen in Golden Knights history. He stays at home and is useful for taking down the league's best attackers. So, what happens when you lose McNabb AND Shea Theodore?
Well, it's the ol' "next man up" mentality. The Golden Knights have struggled to enforce this mindset throughout the years. But now's the best time to do so, especially with the ugly month of January rearing its head. Golden Knights fans know the history and lore behind this dreaded month, too.
That means Jaycob Megna must use his size and stick to act as a defensive stalwart. That means Ben Hutton must continue to play a surprisingly good game for the Golden Knights. Whatever the case, the blue line must step up in McNabb's absence.
Otherwise, the Golden Knights will carry its bad juju over from losing six of its last seven games entering Friday. Suddenly, the conversation will shift from the Stanley Cup playoffs to just trying to get in. I don't think all of Las Vegas is ready to hear that conversation any time soon.