The Chiefs fly-half missed the All Blacks' plane to South America following a drunken night out and has now been suspended for their remaining two Tests in this season's competition.
With Dan Carter already sidelined through injury, Beauden Barrett steps in at number 10 this weekend as New Zealand seek to build on three straight wins since an opening draw with Australia, with Colin Slade as cover on the bench.
Ma'a Nonu will also be missing after suffering a broken arm in the 14-10 win over South Africa in Wellington earlier this month, meaning he and Conrad Smith will have to wait to set a new record for international caps as a centre pairing.
The duo share that honour with Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy on 55 games in midfield together, with Malakai Fekitoa or Ben Smith in contention to replace Nonu.
Smith will get to add to his 80 appearances for New Zealand, though, and he insists the team's appetite for success is stronger than ever as preparations continue for next year's World Cup defence.
"The one thing that I'm impressed with is the amount of work that goes in behind the scenes, and to be honest it's more in the last two to three years," he told the All Blacks' website.
"The amount of detail that now goes into a game - not just the analysis stuff, but the preparation for every part of the game - has stepped up enormously. It doesn't leave an awful lot of free time but fair enough too, we are professional athletes."
Argentina are without injured flanker Juan Manuel Leguizamon after four successive defeats, but the Pumas will take heart from having picked up three bonus points for narrow losses this term.
The underdogs' heaviest reversal in the 2014 Rugby Championship came when beaten 28-9 by New Zealand in Napier, but they will be fired up for the return fixture in La Plata.
"I think we have shown we can be competitive against the best teams in the world," said assistant coach Raul Perez.
"I think our desire to hold on to the ball and attack has stood out.
"We want to keep growing as a team, to control games and be the protagonists in matches. The challenge is to reach the final minutes with a lead or a small deficit and from there to ensure the result goes our way."