The Vegas Golden Knights might not like the news that they got regarding Brayden McNabb. I mean, who doesn't hate losing a key back-end defenseman while you're chasing a Stanley Cup? However, Golden Knights fans weren't thinking about that too much. Instead, they were thinking about Adin Hill and Shea Theodore returning to practice.
If you don't know, Theodore is one of the Original Misfits. He's a reliable puck-moving defenseman who's improved his defense this season. Theodore has four goals and 16 assists this season, making him one of the more reliable offensive options for the Golden Knights.
As for Hill, what else is there to say? He's your Stanley Cup hero, your starter, whatever you want to call him. He's also the guy who had a GAA of 2.47 and four shutouts last season. The Calgary native is good and is ready to take the goaltending reins for the Golden Knights.
So, let's look at the two players' return to the Golden Knights' realm, shall we? We're going to use a personal account from yours truly, seeing what happened at Thursday's practice. What was good about the returns? What could be improved?
Adin Hill looks like his usual self in practice for the Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights fans are accustomed to seeing Adin Hill's big keester take up a hockey net. His natural size and movements make him an ideal goaltender for what Vegas tries to do every night. It's why Sean Burke always lauds him as a netminder, specifically with how big he is.
But he also showed great awareness and movements in his on-ice return on Thursday. Hill maintained his position and did a terrific job of deterring good looks from oncoming attackers. That should be a promising sign for Golden Knights fans looking for goaltending stability.
As for the position itself? Who knows what will happen? Maybe Vegas keeps all three to keep the group fresh. Perhaps one of them gets offloaded for a draft pick or two. Whatever the case, the Golden Knights have options in the room for the net.
Shea Theodore still has some rust to shake off, but that's expected
Theodore saw himself return to the Vegas Golden Knights lineup after a minor setback a month prior. While he was still getting comfortable from his time off, that's expected from the defenseman.
The time off has seen Theodore come up short on some shots. His shots also didn't have as much zip as he's accustomed to having. Of course, he will get back to his usual self shortly, as he's known to quickly return to basics. Tomas Hertl and other big names will rejoice!
With his improvements across the board, expect him to revert to his normal self. The Golden Knights' blue line will improve, giving Vegas a better two-way game. The offense goes up, ranging from the power play to even strength. The back-end defense gets better on the forechecking and backchecking end. Watch for the Misfit to be his normal self once he steps on the ice again.