2021-22 wasn't the best year for the Vegas Golden Knights. It's known as the only season that they missed the Stanley Cup playoffs despite having 94 points. On top of that, injuries crushed the team and left them unable to compete at a high level.
However, one Golden Knights star had a good year: Zach Whitecloud. The defenseman scored eight goals and 11 assists that year, creating a career-high 19 points in the process. He also had 115 blocked shots and 98 hits, marking a banner year for the defenseman.
Defensively, he's gotten better. In 2023-24, he registered 129 hits and 105 blocked shots. The year after, he had 117 hits and 103 blocked shots. It's earned him a spot based on his stellar blue line reputation.
However, those offensive numbers have stalled like a broken-down car. The last three seasons have seen Whitecloud score 11 combined goals. The numbers indicate he hasn't redeemed himself from that nice 2021-22 season, leaving fans wondering how he can make them believe like a Monkees song.
Let's examine this case and diagnose how Whitecloud can redeem himself. America loves a good comeback story and that's no different for the Bemidji State alum.
Where does Zach Whitecloud's redemption story start?
We can take a couple of things from Whitecloud's 2021-22 season. First, he had 94 shots on goal in that campaign. That led to a career-high in goals scored, providing extra juice for the Golden Knights.
Kelly McCrimmon and company have discussed changing the team's philosophy heading into 2025-26. That starts with Whitecloud, who had 72 shots on goal last season. If he can break past the 100 SOG barrier for the first time in his career, it'll help with his redemption story.
But that's only part of the equation. Last season also saw the defenseman set a career-high in giveaways (74). He never exceeded 30 giveaways until 2024-25, adding to the alarming trend set among Golden Knights blue liners.
Obviously, this goes for the rest of the group. That's especially true when the Golden Knights averaged the fifth-most giveaways per game last season (15.90). But that should also start with Whitecloud, where he should be more careful.
That means not rushing plays and finding his shot. That's something that makes Noah Hanifin special. He's a goal-scoring defenseman who can find openings and capitalize on them. That can come from a redirection, or it can come from long range. Regardless, Hanifin knows how to pick his spots.
The 28-year-old can take a page from Hanifin's book and better himself here. He's expected to start the season as part of the second pairing with the former first-round pick. That'll mean picking up the slack offensively and taking more shots. If he does that, that'll become one of the most impressive comeback stories ever.