Vegas Golden Knights Recall Defenseman Shea Theodore
The Vegas Golden Knights called up their most prized possession on defense.
The blue line for the Vegas Golden Knights has been rock solid thus far in their inaugural campaign. It’s hard to think that this kind of defensive performance will last the entire season. But the early success is very encouraging to see nonetheless. Let’s take a look and see how the Golden Knights defense is doing:
Nate Schmidt is averaging over 21 minutes a night and plays in all situations. Luca Sbisa has been putting up points and shutting down the opposition’s top offensive weapons. Colin Miller is looking more and more comfortable by the day. Unexpectedly came Brad Hunt’s emergence which is welcoming for the NHL’s newest franchise. And Deryk Engelland has proven he is a top-four defenseman.
However, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for the Vegas defense. The Golden Knights placed Jason Garrison and Griffin Reinhart on waivers in the past few days. Fortunately, both defensemen cleared waivers and were assigned to the Golden Knights AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves. With an NHL roster spot left wide open, Vegas made a call to Chicago to call up one of the Golden Knights top prospects.
On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights announced they’re calling up defenseman Shea Theodore from the Chicago Wolves. For those who don’t remember how the Golden Knights acquired the 22-year-old blueliner, let me fill you in. The Anaheim Ducks traded Theodore to Vegas in exchange for Vegas selecting defenseman Clayton Stoner in the expansion draft.
The Langley, British Columbia native put together a great case in camp and preseason to stay with the big club. But since Theodore’s contract has an exempt from waivers attachment, the Golden Knights sent him down to the AHL without needing waivers. Theodore has flourished in with the Wolves scoring five goals and six assists in 11 games played.
Theodore’s known as an offensive defenseman who loves to take shots at the point and dish the puck around. He can quarterback a power play and also has excellent mobility. He’s not afraid to take high-risk chances to make a play which makes him unique compared to the other eight defensemen the Golden Knights currently have.
However, if those opportunities don’t go his way, he tends to give up a lot of odd-man rushes going the other way. He needs to learn two important things: limiting the amount of chances he takes and when it’s okay to take those chances. If he doesn’t learn those two qualities quickly, head coach Gerard Gallant and general manager George McPhee will have no problem sending him back down to the minors.
The next issue is where do the Golden Knights place him in the lineup. This team is firing on all cylinders, and it’s hard to take someone out of the lineup when you’re 8-1-0. Afterall, the old saying is if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. But if they do dress Theodore tonight, my guess is Hunt sits in the press box for a few nights. I also wouldn’t be entirely shocked if they decide to sit Brayden McNabb, but I believe they need his physical presence out on the ice.
Next: Oscar Dansk Wins NHL's Second Star Of The Week.
All in all, Shea Theodore is here, and he’s ready to make his official Vegas Golden Knights debut. It’ll be interesting to see how Gallant handles all of his defensemen moving forward. But they couldn’t afford to wait on Theodore for much longer due to his high performance early on this year in the minors. As for Golden Knights fans, sit back, relax, add Theodore on all your fantasy teams and enjoy.