The Vegas Golden Knights received some bad news on Monday regarding their beloved "Fun Must Be Always" ambassador. According to Kelly McCrimmon on the VGK Insider Show, Tomas Hertl isn't expected to make the upcoming three-game road trip. This was after sustaining a brutal upper-body injury in Sunday's victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
What was the hit, you ask? Well, it came on a breakaway with Hertl trying to get the rebound. In comes Emil Lilleberg with a boarding penalty, knocking the 31-year-old out of the game.
Suddenly, the Norwegian defenseman is as hated as Kim Jong Un. He's become public enemy No. 1 in Las Vegas for injuring a player riding a hot streak. Hertl had four goals in his previous two games before the upper-body injury, bringing his total to 31 (a team-high).
Considering the Golden Knights have two hot teams on their tails, they must have all hands on deck to win the Pacific Division.
How will they handle the power play?
How will we have fun when watching Vegas on game day?
These are the questions fans are dealing with after that fateful injury. Suddenly, everything looks grim and dark. Life has no meaning without the beloved Prague native around.
But wait! There's more!
The Vegas Golden Knights got some good news regarding Shea Theodore
On that same episode of the VGK Insider Show, Kelly McCrimmon stated the following regarding Shea Theodore.
McCrimmon says Shea Theodore is on the trip and is on track to returning to the lineup this week.
— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) March 24, 2025
Yes, it would be career suicide to have the defenseman take up Tomas Hertl's role in front of the net. That'd be like Lindsey Lohan the keys to the DeLorean. Suddenly, you don't have Vegas Golden Knights hockey.
But Theodore has been a helpful power play asset. He has 17 assists on the unit, third-most on the team. In fact, he has 41 overall assists, which is also third on Vegas. In short, they're getting another playmaker to accompany the big guns.
How Theodore's return helps the Golden Knights
A returning Shea Theodore is good for many reasons. For one, he's great at facilitating plays and setting up his teammates. That means players like Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev will get more opportunities to feast.
It doesn't matter if he's on the power play or even strength. The 29-year-old has an innate hockey sense that lets him play away from the puck. In turn, he sees the play happen and coordinates accordingly. Only players like Mark Stone and Eichel are as efficient at doing this.
Of course, this isn't going to be a substitute for having a big body up front. Hertl's presence attacking the net will be missed (at least for this trip). That also has unintended consequences of its own, such as teams leaving Mark Stone open. Granted, opponents have done this in recent months, knowing he won't shoot. However, a lack of a definitive threat makes life harder for the Golden Knights.
Could Ivan Barbashev or William Karlsson take on this role? Who knows. The noted size discrepancy could be problematic, deterring Cassidy from taking on that role. But for now, a key offensive piece is returning to the lineup. It could provide a different remedy that doesn't have fans pulling their hairs out of their heads.