Clarke will undergo a knee reconstruction at the Mercy Hospital on Wednesday and Hutchison says the club is hopeful of a full recovery.
"Given the time of the year, you'd think he would be almost available for round one next year," Hutchison said.
Hutchison refused to say if the injury was potentially career-threatening.
"I'm not quite sure if anyone would have given that any thought at the moment. We are more concerned about getting the operation done and making sure he is going to recover properly," he said.
Clarke had been one of the in-form players in St Kilda's VFL team Sandringham before hurting his knee in Saturday's loss to Williamstown. Hutchison said he was remaining upbeat despite the injury.
"His form had been good and he's played a fair bit of senior footy for us. It is very disappointing for it to happen and it limits our depth," he said.
"He's coped pretty well actually. He has been as well as can be expected."
Clarke has played 105 games for St Kilda since he was taken with pick five in the 2001 draft.
