Shea Theodore glad to be back on the ice for Golden Knights

By Jesse Granger

Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 | 3:26 p.m.

Shea Theodore took the ice with his Golden Knights teammates today at City National Arena for the first time since the Stanley Cup Final in June.

Theodore missed the first two weeks of training camp and the first five preseason games before agreeing to a seven-year contract worth $36.4 million Monday night.

“It’s a process and it was different seeing the business side of it, and it’s my first time going through that. But it’s good to be back,” Theodore said. “(The negotiations were) my agent’s job going into the summer. He’s done it for a number of years, and I kind of just let him handle that and it worked out well.”

Theodore, 23, is now the highest-paid defenseman on the team, with an average annual salary of $5.2 million. He had a breakout season in 2017-18, registering six goals and 23 assists during the regular season and racking up three goals and seven assists in the playoffs.

His new contract keeps him in Las Vegas through the 2024-25 season.

“The run we went on last year was special and going forward, it’s a place that I want to be for a long time,” Theodore said. “I’m definitely happy with it.”

During his summer away from Las Vegas, Theodore stayed in shape by skating with the University of British Columbia hockey team in Vancouver.

“They had good competitive skates and I feel like that definitely kept me in good shape,” Theodore said. “I worked on a lot of skills stuff — a lot of skating and edgework. Off the ice, I was in the gym trying to get bigger and stronger. I feel a lot better coming into camp.”

Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said Theodore will play in the team’s final two preseason games. Vegas hosts the Kings Friday night and the Sharks Sunday night in final preparation for its Oct. 4 regular season opener.

“(Theodore) knows the way we play and nothing has changed since last year, and he’ll play with his same partner from last year, with Deryk Engelland,” Gallant said.

“With two games left, that’s plenty of time” to get ready for the season opener, Engelland said. “He’s in great shape as always, and he’s very gifted on the ice, so I think he’ll slide right in like we left off. He’s a great player, and we’re just happy to have him back.”