Defenseman Zach Whitecloud has agreed to a six-year extension with the Vegas Golden Knights carrying an average annual value of $2.75 million, the team announced Thursday.
Whitecloud signed with the club as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and has played 72 games over the past four years in Vegas. The 24-year-old is a stay-at-home defender who plays mostly bottom-pair minutes, but is relied upon heavily for penalty killing and has added two goals and 12 assists for the Golden Knights over his career.
Whitecloud is out of the lineup, considered week to week with an injury right now after blocking a shot up high in Friday's game against Edmonton.
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
How does the deal factor into Vegas' salary cap?
Jesse Granger, Golden Knights beat writer: This contract gives Whitecloud financial certainty through the 2027-28 season, which is nice for a player who joined the Golden Knights as an undrafted free agent. With a cap hit of only $2.75 million per season, it gives Vegas a young, reliable defenseman for a more-than-reasonable price.
Whitecloud has developed into a player that coach Pete DeBoer leans on defensively, both at even strength and on the penalty kill, and he’s already shown more offensive upside than expected. With a lineup chock-full of star players with high salaries, securing Whitecloud at this rate should help the Golden Knights for years to come.
