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Vegas Golden Knights Report Card: Shea Theodore

By Andrew Steele-Davis

SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 23: Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights warms up prior to Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round against the San Jose Sharks during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 23, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 23: Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights warms up prior to Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round against the San Jose Sharks during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 23, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 14: Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights returns to the locker room after warm-ups prior to Game Three of the Western Conference First Round against the San Jose Sharks during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on April 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 14: Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights returns to the locker room after warm-ups prior to Game Three of the Western Conference First Round against the San Jose Sharks during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on April 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Why The Grade

Shea Theodore was both paid and given the commitment of a seven-year deal prior to the start of 2018-19, and he went on to begin to repay that faith in emphatic fashion.

You are going to get a high grade if you achieve a career-year, and you are going to get one of the highest grades when you go and achieve career-highs in a number of categories.

Theodore did just that with career-highs in games (79), goals (12), assists (25) and points (37), while he was third in the NHL regular season in takeaways with 82.

He was relied upon by the coaching staff massively throughout the year, eating an average of 20:06 minutes of ice time a game during the regular season, in addition to logging a hefty average of 22:56 minutes a night in the postseason.

We could have given Theodore an A+, and we were tempted to, but there is some work to do for the 23-year-old and that is to be expected for a player still in the early throes of his career.

Those minor blots happen to come in the defensive zone and the 26th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft will need to cut down on the 59 giveaways he coughed up last year.

However, that aside, it was an outstanding year for Theodore who has the potential to morph into one of the premier top-four defensemen in the NHL.

He’s an effective quarterback on the power play for the Knights with nine points on the man advantage, and those numbers will only increase the more Theodore matures and improves as a player.

dark. Next. Oscar Lindberg Report Card

It is both scary and exciting to think that Theodore still has his peak years ahead of him and, under control through 2024-25, the Golden Knights boast an elite blueliner who will only continue to get better and this current deal could well be looked on as a bargain.

With two years with this franchise now under his belt and having developed nicely into a locker room leader, the best is yet to come for Shea Theodore who will have a monumental role to play for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019-20.

The Numbers

Games: 79

Goals: 12

Assists: 25

Points: 37

Power Play Goals: 4

Power Play Points: 9

ATOI: 20:06

PIM: 20

Plus / Minus: -4

Hits: 27

Blocked Shots: 91

Takeaways: 82

CF%: 57.1

oZS%: 55.5

Games (Playoffs): 7

Goals (Playoffs): 1

Assists (Playoffs): 7

Points (Playoffs): 8

ATOI (Playoffs): 22:56

Next Report Card: William Carrier

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