What Shea Theodore Injury Means For Golden Knights

Until last night, things were looking up for the Vegas Golden Knights. Their East Coast road trip got off to a less-than-ideal start with losses to the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, but the Golden Knights responded with definitive wins over the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins. They entered the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament 2nd in the Pacific Division and 4th in the Western Conference.

However, there’s a shadow hanging over the team’s future after last night.

The 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament kicked off with a match between Team Canada and Team Sweden. Team Canada squandered two multigoal leads but rallied to win in overtime on the shoulders of 37-year-old Sidney Crosby. But for the Golden Knights, that doesn’t matter.

The Theodore Injury

Early in the second period, Shea Theodore left the game after this hit from Adrian Kempe.

Shea Theodore goes to the Canada locker room after a collision with Adrian Kempe pic.twitter.com/nXjUlX8QdM

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 13, 2025

It’s hard to be angry about this hit. It’s not dirty, late, or malicious; it is, however, extremely unfortunate for both Shea Theodore and the Golden Knights. Theodore was in the middle of the best season of his life. He’s third on the team in scoring and second in ice time. The Golden Knights power play is tied for 2nd in the league at 28.0%, and that’s in no small part due to Theodore’s play. He quarterbacks the top unit, and 19 of his 48 points come on the man advantage. Thus, losing Theodore for any amount of time would be a massive blow for the Golden Knights.

Without knowing the severity of Theodore’s injury, it’s hard to predict just how much it will affect the Golden Knights. He’s been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament, but that doesn’t necessarily mean much. 

Shea Theodore has been ruled out for the entire #4Nations tournament. Jon Cooper says “it’s heartbreaking for the kid.”

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 13, 2025

The tournament ends next Thursday, February 20th. Theodore being “out for the remainder of the tournament” equates to six days. Best-case scenario, he’s a little banged up and uses this time to rest and recover. The Golden Knights don’t play until Saturday, February 22nd. Even if Theodore isn’t 100% by then, if he avoided serious injury, everything will be fine.

If this is a long-term injury, however… then the Golden Knights may be in some serious trouble.

How Does a Theodore Injury Impact the Golden Knights?

I think it goes without saying that if Theodore is out long-term, the Golden Knights will be a bit lost without him. The Golden Knights play with an admirable “next man up” attitude, but filling in for a player like Shea Theodore is a tall order. I’ve already seen plenty of LTIR jokes. Okay, I get it. But these jokes come from individuals who don’t know just how important Theodore is to the success of the Golden Knights.

If Theodore is out long-term, the Golden Knights may have no choice but to put him on LTIR and use his cap space to go out and try to acquire a top-four right-shot defenseman. Finding a top-four right-shot defenseman is no easy task; acquiring one will be even harder.

Yes, I know. Theodore is a left-shot defenseman, but he plays on the right side. Typically, defensemen play on their natural sides, allowing them to make routine defensive plays easier. So, it’s relatively safe to assume that if Theodore’s spot needs to be filled, it’ll be a right-shot defenseman doing so.

First of all, right-shot defensemen are at a premium. There aren’t many available. The only ones who have been listed on trade boards– Erik Karlsson and Seth Jones, for example– have sizable contracts attached. Rasmus Ristolainen has been on the trade block for at least two years, but there’s a significant gap between Ristolainen and Shea Theodore.

Right-shot defensemen don’t grow on trees– especially not ones of Theodore’s caliber.

How Would a Replacement Affect the Golden Knights’ Future?

For the sake of the argument, let’s say Kelly McCrimmon finds someone who can replace Theodore this season. How is he acquiring this defenseman? The Golden Knights are lacking in assets. They don’t have a first-round pick until 2027, and their biggest trade piece is last year’s 19th overall pick, Trevor Connelly. 

Also, what happens in the long run? The salary cap is going up, but not that much. It’s not going up enough to accommodate another top-four defenseman capable of running a power play. 

As I said, we can only speculate until we know more about Theodore’s injury’s severity. I imagine we won’t get an update on Theodore until next Friday, February 21st, at the earliest.

If Theodore’s injury isn’t serious, then no harm, no foul. But if Theodore is out long-term… buckle up. Things could get very, very interesting.