Golden Knights sign Shea Theodore to a seven-year extension

LAS VEGAS – The Golden Knights extended defenseman Shea Theodore's contract to a seven-year contract on Thursday. The deal has an average annual value of $7.425 million.

One of just three Golden Knights players left over from the 2017 expansion draft, Theodore is now under contract with Vegas through the 2031-32 season. He served as the Golden Knights' blue line anchor from day one and led all defensemen in franchise history with 296 points in 450 games.

Theodore, 29, was headed to unrestricted free agency after this season and likely would have commanded a higher AAV on the open market. At just under $7.5 million per season, he should represent good value for the Golden Knights, at least for the first few seasons of the new contract. However, he will be 37 years old in the final year of his contract.

He is off to an excellent start to the 2024-25 season with seven points (one goal and six assists) in six games, ranking fourth in the NHL among defensemen. Theodore is an excellent skater and puck player who helps drive Vegas' dangerous transition offense. He is also the quarterback of the top power play unit, which is the fourth best in the league with a rate of 36.8 percent.

With this expansion, the Golden Knights have now invested a lot of cap space on the blue line. Vegas already had Alex Pietrangelo under contract with an AAV of $8.8 million for the 2026-27 season and Noah Hanifin with an AAV of $7.35 million for the 2031-32 season. And Vegas already had the fifth-highest percentage of defensemen this season. Next year this figure will be even higher.

Still, it is one of the best and deepest defensive groups in the NHL and was a key reason the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023. This means the three top defenders are tied for the foreseeable future.

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(Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today)