The Vegas Golden Knights have dealt with a brutal wave of injuries this season. First, you lose Mark Stone for a bit, followed by William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb, and Carter Hart. However, it appears that the reinforcements are arriving, with one trending towards playing on Saturday. That's right, it's Shea Theodore time.
Theodore is back in a regular jersey. Looks like he's been in the lineup tonight.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) January 10, 2026
Lines at morning skate
Barbashev-Eichel-Stone⁰Smith-Marner-Dorofeyev⁰Howden-Hertl-Kolesar⁰Reinhardt-Sissons-Bowman
Hanifin-Whitecloud
Lauzon-Theodore⁰Hutton-Korczak
According to SinBin.Vegas, Theodore took the ice for a morning skate in a regular jersey. He's trending towards being in the lineup for Saturday's game against the St. Louis Blues, where he would play for the first time since December 13.
It's great news for the Golden Knights, who also saw Adin Hill take practice reps with the team. This season, Theodore has four goals and 16 assists, with a goal and three assists coming on the league's fourth-best power play entering Saturday. While it's not the end-all be-all answer for Vegas, it's a good start.
Theodore has played much better this season defensively, registering 48 blocked shots. He and McNabb have formed one of the most lethal defensive pairs in the NHL, providing a smooth combination of offensive excellence and defensive pressure.
The Vegas Golden Knights can build off a Shea Theodore return in the best way possible
The Golden Knights enter Saturday's game against the St. Louis Blues on a modest two-game winning streak. While that's insignificant in the moment, fans can't forget that this was the same team that lost eight games in a nine-game stretch. Part of that mediocre stretch has been from injuries, particularly on the defensive end.
Should Theodore return to the lineup on Saturday, that provides a big boost for Vegas in this aspect. They've struggled to maintain leads and take away good looks, as proven by their last game against the Blues. When you give up three unanswered goals and the game-winner, that's never good.
With Theodore, he adds a two-way element that gives the Golden Knights more depth across the board. That ranges from the back-end to improving the power play further, turning them into the Stanley Cup contender that everyone expected them to be.
That's bad news for the rest of the NHL, who's taken pleasure in Vegas's misfortunes. With one Olympian returning to the mix, it makes the Golden Knights even better and more threatening. Who knows? They could aim for the top dogs, including the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild.