Jack Eichel, Zach Whitecloud Land on IR

According to the NHL's Media Site, Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel has been placed on injured reserve and defenseman Zach Whitecloud has been placed on long-term injured reserve.

Update 12/13- Head coach Bruce Cassidy has labeled Eichel as day-to-day, Whitecloud month-to-month, and Shea Theodore week-to-week.

Eichel was injured in the Golden Knight's Dec. 3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He appeared to injure his left leg simply skating around in his own zone playing defense. Eichel missed two games with this injury, returned against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 9, but then missed the VGK's most recent game.

Whitecloud was injured in the Golden Knight's most recent game against the Boston Bruins. Taylor Hall fell on Whitecloud's left leg, which caused the defenseman to leave the game and not return.

Based on the NHL's rulebook regarding IR, Eichel will have to miss at least seven days and Whitecloud 24 days or 10 games. This counter starts after the last game a player plays.

This means Eichel will miss at least the Golden Knight's next two games, which are both on the road against Winnipeg and Chicago. He will be eligible to return against the New York Islanders on Dec. 17.

For Whitecloud, he will be eligible to return on Jan. 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Also injured, defenseman Shea Theodore remains on the team's active roster. Brett Howden was placed on LTIR by the Golden Knights. His first game to be eligible to return is also on Dec. 17 against the Islanders.

"Jack looked like he was laboring a bit at times. I can't give you the specifics of the injuries for two reasons. A- I don't want to give you the specifics of the injury, and B- I don't know all of them… I think it is one he will have to play through a little bit, so we will see where he is at tomorrow. I might also be one that may need a little bit more time to heal. I was kind of his call tonight," said Cassidy after Eichel played in the Golden Knight's win over the Flyers.

The last time Eichel was injured, the Golden Knights recalled Jonas Rondbjerg from the Henderson Silver Knights. With no spare forwards currently, expect Rondbjerg to be called up soon, along with either Brayden Pachal or Kaedan Korczak, to help the also-injured defense.

With the Golden Knights, Eichel has had three significant injuries. The most infamous was his neck injury which he had artificial disk replacement surgery on. Eichel also broke his thumb, blocking a shot from Mackenzie Weegar in March of last season. He played through the injury then.

Most recently, Eichel was hit in the face with a puck that came off the stick of Nicolas Hague. This came Nov. 28th game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Eichel missed a couple of shifts but returned. He has since worn a full-bubble shield after he had his eye stitched up ten times.

The Golden Knights are currently without Eichel, Whitecloud, Alex Pietrangelo (personal), Shea Theodore (lower-body), and Brett Howden (lower-body). They also have Robin Lehner and Nolan Patrick ruled out for the season.