Shea Theodore has known nothing but winning in his NHL career.
That’s even before the defenseman joined the Golden Knights. Theodore had 20 playoff games with the Anaheim Ducks before they traded him to the Knights during the 2017 expansion draft.
But the bar has been set high since Theodore arrived. He’s been at the forefront of it all.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve kind of been through it all,” Theodore said. “We’ve gone deep (in the playoffs) and lost. We’ve gone deep and won.”
Theodore was going to become the face of the Knights’ blue line at some point. There aren’t many, at the time of the trade, 22-year-old defensemen with elite skating ability who fall out of the sky.
Now 29, coming off the best season of his career and staying put after signing a seven-year, $51.975 million extension in October, Theodore is heading a changing of the guard on the back end.
“Shea’s been here a long time,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “I think he’s been a part of the culture here, and he’s set the standard.”
Hanifin is about to be viewed in that light, too.
The 28-year-old blue liner is also around for the long haul after completing the first season of an eight-year, $58.8 million extension he signed in April 2024.
“I think, for me, coming into my second year next year, (I’m) just trying to help out (with the culture),” Hanifin said.
Too much of a good thing
The Knights carried eight defensemen this season. That seemed like a bold choice at the time.
It wasn’t a question of depth. The Knights have had one of the deepest blue lines in the league for the past few seasons.
That was proved right again this season with seven defensemen recording double digits in points.
But questions had to be answered.
One was how much playing time Kaedan Korczak would get. The 24-year-old signed a two-year extension July 1 as a restricted free agent.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said at the time that Korczak was ready to become an everyday NHL defenseman.
That part was true. Korczak stayed on the NHL roster the entire season, but was a healthy scratch for most of it. He appeared in a career-high 40 games, recording 10 assists with a plus-15.
Initially, the thought regarding Korczak was he would fill the void of a defenseman who would be traded.
That didn’t happen, either. The Knights kept their six regulars for the entire season.
That included making sure Theodore didn’t hit the open market July 1. The Original Misfit was set to be an unrestricted free agent.
Now, the Knights’ all-time leader in games (511), goals (73) and points (346) for a defenseman probably will finish his career with the franchise.
Theodore finished the season with a career-high 57 points in 67 games. He missed 15 games because of a wrist injury he suffered while playing with Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“Having (the contract) done took a lot of the pressure off,” Theodore said. “But at the same time, there’s expectations that need to be met.”
There’s also the matter of defenseman Nic Hague. The 26-year-old is due for a new contract as a restricted free agent, whether that comes with the Knights or an offer sheet from another team.
Adjusting responsibilities
Theodore and Hanifin will likely take on the lion’s share of responsibility going forward to ease the burden of the veterans.
Alex Pietrangelo, for example, played 71 games this season. It came with a price.
The 35-year-old, in his 17th season, had to bow out of participating with Canada in the 4 Nations because of an undisclosed injury.
Pietrangelo was looking forward to it. He wanted his kids to see him playing with the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby.
“That decision, it’s not like I made it instantly,” Pietrangelo said. “It’s a discussion you have as a family. Now, my kids don’t get to watch me play. There was a lot. My family, my parents were going to come.”
The decision worked for Pietrangelo’s availability. He appeared in 71 games and is 13 from 1,100 in his career.
Pietrangelo, who has two years remaining on a seven-year deal he signed with the Knights in 2020, played extended minutes again this season. He tied Hanifin among Knights defensemen in ice time at 23:03 during the playoffs.
But how much of that level Pietrangelo has left is up for discussion.
He led the Knights in ice time (22:24) during the regular season and played 147:50 short-handed, trailing only 34-year-old Brayden McNabb.
Third-most was Zach Whitecloud (79:00).
Pietrangelo struggled defensively at times. Decision making was not its best. His reads on plays were not as crisp as they once were.
That top, elite level might not be there anymore, but that’s not stopping his desire to win a third Stanley Cup.
“It’s more a mindset than anything,” Pietrangelo said. “If I’m going to do something, I’m going to try and do it to the best of my ability.”
Ironman needs help
The Knights also found out that an injured McNabb makes a difference.
The defensive defenseman wasn’t 100 percent in the final three games of the second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers after being tripped into the boards in overtime of Game 2.
McNabb, who has played 299 of the Knights’ past 300 games, including the playoffs, was “definitely close to not playing” in Game 3. He was the last one to take warmups before playing.
“You play if you can, and I was able to play,” McNabb said. “You do what you can this time of year.”
McNabb has been the constant no matter who has skated with him. He’s been primarily with Theodore since 2021 and also has been with Korczak.
McNabb (1485:22) played the second-most minutes at even strength this season, behind only Hanifin.
The onus now lands on Theodore and Hanifin to consistently provide what the two veterans have brought.
“You look at guys like (Pietrangelo) and (McNabb), who make huge contributions for our team, and they’ve been here for a long time, but they’re a little bit older than me and Shea, and they’ve been around longer,” Hanifin said. “For us, we’re in the prime of our careers and just trying to make the most of that and make sure we’re playing the best hockey we can to help the team.”
That’s what the next gear looks like for Theodore.
He tapped into that part on the ice. Remaining at this scoring pace will keep him in constant discussion for the Norris Trophy.
Now, it’s about building and preparing for the next era.
“With (Hanifin) here, I think we’re going to be a huge part of the group going forward,” Theodore said. “We’re going to have to step up leadership-wise on the ice, try to drive more offense. We’re both big-minute players going forward.”
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
