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Shea Theodore

Golden Knights Expected To Activate Shea Theodore, Raphael Lavoie

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The Golden Knights are expected to activate defenseman Shea Theodore from long-term injured reserve, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. They’ve also removed forward Raphael Lavoie from injured reserve, Webster relays from the league’s media site, but he’s not on the roster, indicating he’s been reassigned to AHL Henderson. Vegas wasn’t using Theodore’s LTIR relief to stay cap-compliant, so they could activate him without an additional cap-clearing move.

Theodore will be a game-time decision for tonight’s road matchup against the Wild as a result, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including Jessi Pierce of NHL.com. The 29-year-old has been out since sustaining an arm injury while suiting up for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The 10-year veteran is amid another spectacular offensive campaign. After starting the year with three multi-point efforts in his first six appearances, he put pen to paper on a seven-year, $51.975MM extension to keep him in Vegas for what could be the rest of his career. He went onto post 48 points in 55 games until the 4 Nations break, during which he injured his right arm on a hit from Swedish winger Adrian Kempe in the Canadians’ first round-robin game.

While injuries have taken a huge bite out of Theodore’s availability for the third season in a row, he remains one of the league’s premier point producers from the blue line. Since the 2019-20 season, Theodore’s 271 points rank 11th among defensemen, while his 0.75 points per game rank ninth among rearguards with at least 100 games played. The Golden Knights hope he can continue at this season’s 71-point pace upon his return, helping soften the blow of losing star center Tomáš Hertl to a shoulder injury for at least their next three games after he didn’t travel with the team, Webster relayed yesterday.

Theodore presumably returns to his usual spot, playing his offside with lefty Brayden McNabb on the team’s second pairing. The duo, who have been regular partners since the 2021-22 season, have controlled 52.7% of expected goals this season while outscoring opponents 25-21 at 5v5, per MoneyPuck. 24-year-old Kaedan Korczak will likely head to the press box after playing a regular role in Theodore’s absence, posting five assists and a plus-four rating in 13 games coming out of the 4 Nations break.

Lavoie presumably heads to the farm after being held out of the lineup since March 5 with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old narrowly remains waiver-exempt, playing just nine NHL games this season and remaining on the active roster for under 30 cumulative days thanks to a series of paper transactions. The ex-Oilers prospect hopped between Edmonton and Vegas three times on the waiver wire in October before finally settling down with the Knights organization.

He hasn’t made an impact in the NHL lineup when dressed, averaging 10:05 per game and posting a minus-four rating without registering a point. He remains pointless across 16 career big league appearances, but he does have 13-8–21 in 32 showings for Henderson this year.

Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Boeser, Kovalenko, Rutta

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Aside from the Boston Bruins losing Charlie McAvoy, the Vegas Golden Knights are another team that lost an impact player during the 4 Nations Face-Off. According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, the Golden Knights don’t have any new updates regarding defenseman Shea Theodore’s injury status. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy provided updates on another pair of injured players.

Forwards William Karlsson and Cole Schwindt have resumed regular skating making their returns imminent. Neither Karlsson nor Schwindt has played in a game for Vegas in February as they’re both dealing with lower-body injuries. The former has been impacted by injuries for much of the 2024-25 campaign as he’s only managed seven goals and 18 points in 38 appearances.

Meanwhile, the positive injury updates continue as the team is expected to activate (X Link) forward Tanner Pearson for tonight’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks. Pearson missed the Golden Knights’ final two games before the break due to an undisclosed injury. The former 20-goal scorer has notched nine goals and 19 points in 53 games for Vegas this season averaging 12:01 of ice time per night.

Other Pacific notes:

  •  Vancouver could be headed for treacherous waters with their pending unrestricted free agent forward Brock Boeser. The team has been playing too well to warrant moving Boeser at the deadline but not much traction has been made for a potential extension. In an article from Thomas Drance in The Athletic, he argues the Canucks will treat Boeser as their own rental for the deadline. Still, Drance argues that if Vancouver significantly falters leading up to March 7th, that could make a Boeser trade more palatable from their perspective.
  • According to San Jose beat writer Curtis Pashelka, forward Nikolai Kovalenko nor defenseman Jan Rutta are expected to join the San Jose Sharks on their upcoming road trip. Pashelka adds that Rutta is still relatively far from a return, which could affect his trade value at the upcoming deadline. Rutta is a pending unrestricted free agent right-handed shot defenseman who would likely have some value as a potential depth option for a contending team.

Canada’s Shea Theodore To Miss Remainder Of 4 Nations Face-Off

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10:45 a.m.: Theodore is expected to be out week-to-week due to the upper-body injury, the Golden Knights said Thursday. Whether he’ll remain out through the trade deadline remains to be seen, but it’s clear he won’t be ready to go when Vegas resumes its schedule on Feb. 22 against the Canucks.

8:17 a.m.: Canada defenseman Shea Theodore will be sidelined for the rest of the 4 Nations Face-Off after sustaining an upper-body injury in last night’s overtime win over Sweden, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters postgame (including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet).

The Golden Knights blue-liner hit the boards awkwardly while being hit by Swedish Kings winger Adrian Kempe early in the second period. He skated off under his own power and appeared to favor his right arm/shoulder area. During the game, TNT’s Jackie Redmond relayed that Theodore was already undergoing X-rays as part of his initial evaluation.

Unfortunately for the 29-year-old, his second appearance for the Canadian men’s national team ends after nine shifts and 6:59 of ice time. Canada cannot immediately replace Theodore on its roster – they can only add replacements if fewer than 18 healthy skaters are available for a game. Travis Sanheim was scratched as their extra defenseman against Sweden but will make his tournament debut on Saturday against the United States.

It’s a tough break for the 6’2″ lefty, who’s produced at an elite clip for Vegas since the turn of the decade but has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons. He hasn’t played more than 60 regular-season games in a single campaign since 2021-22. He was on track to play in all but one regular season game this year after missing a game due to illness back in October, but his availability for Vegas coming out of the two-week break in the schedule is now uncertain.

Theodore wasn’t going to be a top power-play option for Canada – they had Cale Makar and Josh Morrissey to quarterback their two units. But he was arguably their best puck-mover and most offensively gifted blue-liner behind those two, and a much lower-ceiling option in Sanheim now has to fill his minutes.

Vegas is far more concerned about Theodore missing time than the national side, though. He’s inarguably been their top defenseman this season, leading the club’s blue-liners in goals (seven), assists (41), points (48), shot attempts (282), takeaways (27), expected rating (+9.5), and CF% at even strength (52.1). For a team that entered the break on a 5-8-3 skid, that’s tough news.

Theodore’s lone previous appearance for the Canadian men’s national team came in 2019 when he recorded 2-5–7 with a plus-nine rating in 10 games en route to a silver medal at the World Championship. He also suited up for Canada at the 2013 U18 Worlds and the 2015 World Juniors.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Shea Theodore To Seven-Year Extension

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The Vegas Golden Knights are keeping one of their most important pending unrestricted free agents for the long haul. The team announced they had signed defenseman Shea Theodore to a seven-year contract extension worth $51.975MM, making for an AAV of $7.425MM.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the deal breaks down as follows:

2025-26: $9.5MM
2026-27: $9.5MM
2027-28: $8.6MM
2028-29: $7.275MM
2029-30: $5.7MM
2030-31: $5.7MM
2031-32: $5.7MM

Theodore is one of three original members of the Golden Knights organization left, and this extension will keep him with the team through the 2031-32 NHL season. He was projected to become one of the most sought-after defensemen in free agency next offseason, making this extension somewhat of a hometown discount. Evolving-Hockey projected Theodore to land an eight-year extension worth just over $9MM a season, meaning the Golden Knights will get him for $1.5MM cheaper, with the salary cap continuing to rise.

Part of the lower-than-expected price tag may be due to Theodore’s availability over the last several years. The former 26th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft only managed 180 regular-season games for Vegas from 2021 to the end of last season, losing over a quarter of the games due to various injuries. Should his injury history continue into this contract, it could mark one of the riskier extensions of the last year.

Despite the absence due to injuries over the last few years, there is credibility for the Golden Knights, making Theodore their second-highest-paid defenseman. He’s arguably been Vegas’ best offensive weapon from the blue line over his eight-year tenure, scoring 67 goals and 296 points in 450 games, with 88 points from the powerplay.

He hasn’t been a slouch on the other side of the puck, either. Theodore has posted an impressive 58.8 CF% with a 91.0% on-ice save percentage in all situations throughout his time in Sin City, with an expected rating of +78.4, according to Hockey Reference. There’s an argument to be made that much of Theodore’s success in the possession metrics comes from his 63.2% offensive zone start rate, but it wouldn’t excuse all of it from a defenseman who’s averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game.

Starting next season, the Golden Knights will have $23.575MM invested in three defensemen at the top of their lineup. This may prohibit the organization from retaining other pending unrestricted and restricted free agents currently on the roster, but it’s par for the course from one of the league’s most aggressive franchises.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Golden Knights Notes: Marchessault, Theodore, Hagg

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The departure of Jonathan Marchessault to Nashville in free agency was one of the bigger surprises with many expecting that he’d have re-signed with the Golden Knights.  Team reporter Gary Lawless transcribed a part of a Sirius XM interview with Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon where he indicated that while they eventually went to four years on their offer for the 33-year-old, they weren’t comfortable going to five which is how many he received from the Predators.  Marchessault spent seven seasons with Vegas, recording 192 goals and 225 assists in 514 games, making him the franchise leader in every category.

More from Vegas:

  • One player who will beat at least one of those club records this season is defenseman Shea Theodore who sits just two assists behind Marchessault (while also being 70 games behind that mark). The 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and Vegas’ Jason Pothier highlights how it won’t be easy to retain him.  Theodore held out for a pricey post-entry-level contract after being acquired (one that sees him making $5.2MM) and has been one of the more productive blueliners since then, ranking 13th in points by a defender since 2018.  He’ll begin his next deal at 30 and could add $3MM or more to his current price tag.  With Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin already on the books at more than $16MM combined, it might be tough for the Golden Knights to afford a third big-ticket rearguard on their books.
  • Veteran free agent blueliner Robert Hagg inked a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K with Vegas this summer. The 29-year-old told Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom that he had an offer from Modo in Sweden this summer which would have been a return to the program he played in before making the move to North America.  However, after a rough 2023-24 season that saw him play in just five NHL games with Anaheim, Hagg wanted an opportunity to show that he can be more of a contributor at the top level and isn’t ready to return to play at home just yet.

Golden Knights Activate Shea Theodore

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The Vegas Golden Knights have activated defenseman Shea Theodore off the LTIR (CapFriendly) as he is set to return from a 34-game absence. The 28-year-old was on a tear to start the season but suffered an upper-body injury and has not played since November 22nd. Theodore didn’t play today but could dress tomorrow night when the Golden Knights take on the Nashville Predators. To make room for Theodore the Golden Knights have moved Jack Eichel to the LTIR (CapFriendly).

Theodore had four goals and 14 assists in 20 games to begin the season and looked poised to have a big year before the injury. Vegas has missed having Theodore in their top four as they have posted a 17-13-4 record in his absence.

His return will be a big addition for a team that currently holds a 31-17-6 record and sits in second place in the Pacific Division. Theodore has typically averaged between 21-23 minutes a game over the past few seasons and will likely move back into his role in the Golden Knights top four as well as on the team’s top power-play unit.

Theodore is in the sixth year of a 7-year, $36.4MM contract and has remained very productive throughout the deal but has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons. If he can remain healthy over the next year he will be in line for a massive payday in the summer of 2025.

Vegas Golden Knights Updates

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As the Vegas Golden Knights took the ice for practice this morning in preparation for their upcoming game against the Minnesota Wild on Monday, they issued a plethora of updates regarding key players. The team announced that Mark Stone, Zach Whitecloud, and Jonas Rondbjerg would all miss practice due to illness, indicating that there may be a bug making its way around the team. In the same announcement, the team has also sent defenseman Kaedan Korczak to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

Outside of those missing practice, the team also announced that defenseman Shea Theodore was back at practice in a non-contact jersey, indicating that he may be close to returning. Out for much of the season, Theodore has scored four goals and 18 points in 20 games for the Golden Knights this year before an upper-body injury took him out of the lineup back on November 22nd.

Given that the team does not play until after the weekend, it would be reasonable to assume that Stone, Whitecloud, and Rondbjerg could all return without missing any games. However, it is important to note that Vegas has dealt with several injuries to key players throughout much of the season, and losing three players from illness would severely limit their depth moving forward.

In Korczak, this transaction will mark his third demotion of the season, with the other two coming in early January and early November, respectively. In December, Korczak suffered an undisclosed injury keeping him out of the lineup for nearly a month, limiting his play in Henderson to only five games on the year.

At the NHL level, Korczak has skated in 26 games for the Golden Knights this year, marking a career-high in terms of games played over the last three seasons. Averaging 16 and a half minutes of ice time a game, Korczak has scored one goal and nine points while also sporting a productive 50.4 CorsiFor% and a 94.2% On-Ice Save Percentage in All Situations.

Afternoon Notes: Golden Knights, Puljujarvi, Meyers

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Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy shared updates on the team’s long list of injuries, sharing that Daniil Miromanov is back on the ice, Keegan Kolesar is still out of the lineup with illness, and that starter Adin Hill has returned to skating on his own but isn’t quite ready to rejoin the team. Cassidy also shared that Shea Theodore is still a ways away from returning. The star defenseman is joined by Miromanov and Hill on injured reserve.

These injuries have underscored what’s been a battered Vegas lineup to start the year. The club currently has a top-six forward in William Karlsson, starter Adin Hill, and four different defensemen on IR. The only on the list to not yet make his season debut is NHL newcomer Miromanov, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury that’s held him out since the start of the year.

The amount of talent being held out of Vegas’ lineup is impressive. Karlsson ranks third on the team in scoring with 32 points in 38 games. Theodore still leads all Knights defenders in scoring, despite missing 18 games, with 18 points in 20 games. And Hill has returned to the impeccable goalie that made him an icon last postseason, boasting a .934 save percentage through 15 games this season. The Golden Knights will be in for a big boost when they’re able to get each of these players back, although how long that may take is still up in the air.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed Jesse Puljujarvi to a professional try-out agreement, extending his time in the Penguins organization. Puljujarvi is working his way back from double hip surgery and has been skating with the Pittsburgh lineup at practices. And while his return still seems to be a ways out, this move helps set him up for an AHL conditioning stint once he’s ready to go.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Ben Meyers to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. This is likely in an effort to maintain the young forward’s waiver exemption status. Meyers has played in a collective 58 NHL games since joining the Avalanche in 2021-22 and will lose his exemption once he hits 60 games. The 25-year-old centerman has totaled six goals and no assists through those 58 games, adding 37 points in 49 AHL games.

Injury Notes: Theodore, Nieto, Rakell, Zadina, Barabanov

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Undergoing surgery only a few days ago, the Vegas Golden Knights have moved defenseman Shea Theodore from the injured reserve to the long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. His placement on LTIR (which should be retroactive to November 25th) would keep him out of the lineup until the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 19th.

Injuries have been a concern for Theodore since coming to Vegas, but when healthy, he has regularly been one of the best defensemen on the team. Especially this season, Theodore has four goals and 14 assists in 20 games, sitting fourth on the team in scoring. Accumulating a lot of powerplay minutes as well, Theodore has shown the ability to do it all for the Vegas defensive core.

In his absence, however, the powerplay may suffer a bit, as it currently sits at 14th in the NHL, operating at a 21.35% success rate. Aside from Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo, the Golden Knights do not currently have a third defenseman that the team should be comfortable with in quarterbacking either of the current powerplay units.

Other injury notes:

  • After missing last night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers with an undisclosed injury, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins will place forward Matthew Nieto on the injured reserve. In his absence, forward Joona Koppanen was able to replace Nieto in the lineup last night, making his debut with the Penguins, skating in just over seven and a half minutes of last night’s matchup.
  • On a more positive note with the Penguins, team beat writer, Dave Molinari shared that forward Rickard Rakell has resumed skating. Due to the requirements on players currently on LTIR, Rakell will not be able to return to Pittsburgh’s lineup until their December 16th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nevertheless, if Rakell has already resumed skating in individual on-ice workouts, he should be healthy enough to return on that date.
  • Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that San Jose Sharks forward, Filip Zadina, is back on the ice for practice. It is unclear if he will be able to play in the team’s game tonight or Tuesday, as Miller points out the Sharks are looking for his return against his former team, the Detroit Red Wings. Zadina has been out of San Jose’s lineup for a little over a week with an upper-body injury.
  • One player for San Jose who is likely making his return to the ice tonight is forward Alexander Barabanov (X Link). Having not played since late October, Barabanov has been on the injured reserve recovering from an injury to one of his fingers. Being one of the highest-scoring players on the Sharks roster last season, San Jose could certainly use his help, as they continue to struggle as a team on offense.

Shea Theodore Week-To-Week After Successful Surgery

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The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that top defenseman Shea Theodore is out week-to-week after undergoing a successful surgery. The surgery addressed the upper-body injury that has held Theodore out since November 22nd, although no other specifics were shared.

Theodore was in the midst of a fantastic start to the season, netting four goals and 18 points in 20 games so far this year. That mark leads the Golden Knights’ defensemen in scoring, despite Theodore missing the team’s last three games. In fact, the team’s second-highest-scoring defender, Alex Pietrangelo, only has nine points this season – half of Theodore’s total. Theodore also leads the team’s blue line in xGF% (expected goals-for-percentage) and ranks third in CF% (corsi-for-percentage), speaking to the prowess he’s had on the offensive side of the puck this year.

Theodore’s hot start comes in the wake of an impressive 2022-23 season, where the defenseman netted 41 points in 55 games, or 0.75 points per game. That was the second-highest point-per-game pace of Theodore’s career, only matched by the 42 points he scored in 53 games in the 2020-21 season. He has totaled 470 NHL games through his nine-year career, scoring 70 goals and 282 points. 417 of these games have come with Vegas, who took him from the Anaheim Ducks in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

Vegas is currently rostering ten different defenders, with Theodore and Daniil Miromanov on the team’s injured reserve, Alec Martinez currently day-to-day with injury and scratched, and Brayden Pachal serving as the healthy extra defenseman. Pachal slotted into the lineup while Zach Whitecloud was out with injury, playing in 13 games and recording one point.

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