“Vegas Golden Knights Sign Star Defenseman to Huge Contract Extension”

The Vegas Golden Knights have been one of the most impressive organizations in the NHL since their inaugural season in 2017. Less than a decade into their existence, they already have a Stanley Cup championship and are a perennial Cup contender.

One of the greatest successes of the Golden Knights front office is their ability to attract and retain elite talent. They did it with players like Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin and did it again with defenseman Shea Theodore. The team announced that the 29-year-old blue liner will extend his contract for seven years.

The new contract calls for Theodore to remain with the Golden Knights through the 2031-2032 season, so there is no longer any question as to whether or not the star defenseman will hit the open market next summer. The deal will bring him a total of almost $52 million over the term of the contract and has an average annual value of $7.425 million.

Theodore has been a consistent two-way defenseman since entering the NHL. Originally selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2013 draft, he only played parts of two seasons for the Ducks before moving to the Golden Knights. His career production is largely in line with expectations as he has developed into a reliable 40-55 point player who guarantees his team at least 20 minutes of ice time per night.

In his 10 seasons in the NHL, Theodore appeared in 503 games. He has scored 72 goals, contributed 241 assists and currently has a total of 313 points. His best offensive season came in the 2021-2022 season when he scored 14 goals and added 38 assists, for a career-high 52 points.

So far this season, Theodore is off to a good start. He scored seven points in six games and averaged 22 minutes of ice time per game.

With Theodore on a long-term suspension, the Golden Knights' top three defensemen are now suspended for at least the next three seasons. He joins Pietrangelo and Hanifin as the puck-mover trio, earning at least $7.35 million per season.

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