Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore enjoying breakout season, could take next step in playoffs

By Justin Emerson

Tuesday, April 9, 2019 | 2 a.m.

The Golden Knights have a future Hall of Famer in net, a former 43-goal scorer on its first line, a potential Selke winner on its second and depth down the forward lines.

What they don’t have is an elite defenseman, a noticeable missing component needed by any squad with Stanley Cup championship aspirations. That’s where Shea Theodore comes in for Vegas.

Theodore is enjoying a breakout season, and while he may not be among the game’s top blue-liners, his potential for greatness is as high as anyone on the Golden Knights roster. It could be showcased in the Western Conference quarterfinals against the San Jose Sharks, which begins Wednesday in San Jose.

“(Theodore) is young, he’s got lots of years to improve and get better and bigger and stronger,” defenseman Deryk Engelland said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the most of him yet.”

Theodore, with his stick-handling prowess, looks like a forward at times, jumping into plays from the blue lines and putting dangles on defenders that would make any forward blush. If Theodore played like that all the time, he’d compete for a Norris Trophy. 

But he is still prone to the occasional turnover, a weakness that was much-documented last season, including in the Stanley Cup Final when Theodore’s mishandling of a puck led directly to a huge goal late in Game 3 against the Capitals.  

“He’s just got to play well every night, be consistent every night,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He’s come a long way and he’s going to be a great player.”

That consistency started to manifest in late January when he switched defensive partners. He played most of his first 50 games on the left side with Engelland and registered 17 even-strength points, 0.34 points per game. He moved to the right side, his off-hand side, alongside Brayden McNabb on Jan. 23 and never looked back.

Theodore upped his point production slightly to 0.38 even-strength points per game for the rest of the year, but controlling possession was the key to the swap. Theodore and McNabb generated 69.4 percent Corsi that January night, a measure of 5-on-5 shot attempts. Theodore’s Corsi percentage was 57.5 while on the ice with McNabb this season, and 53.8 percent with Engelland.

“I think it allows me to be a little more offensive, being on the right side, and I like it,” Theodore said. “It gives me that ability to make some different moves, driving on my backhand or being a threat option on my forehand. I think having a couple of those threats, it makes it a lot easier to try and make plays.”

Theodore’s possession numbers have been near the top of the league. His 56.3 Fenwick was fifth in the league among defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes played, and the Golden Knights generated 56.5 percent of the scoring chances at 5-on-5 with Theodore on the ice, fourth-best in the league.

He also had 63 takeaways this season, second-best among defensemen and 10th-best overall. 

The caveat is that Theodore does not match up with the opposition’s best forward lines. That’s typically Nate Schmidt’s job, and he is paired with Engelland now that McNabb is with Theodore. But San Jose has two deadly lines that Schmidt can’t always be on the ice for, meaning Theodore will have chance to shine because Vegas will need its second pair to step up.

“It’s been a lot of fun being out there with him when he’s confident and on his game and making those plays,” McNabb said.

The Golden Knights will get an up-close look at a pair of elite defensemen in the Sharks’ Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns, who have three Norris trophies between them. Vegas will counter with Schmidt, who is terrific, and the steadying forces of Engelland and McNabb. 

Theodore is still considered a step behind, but that could change on the national stage against the Sharks. It could be an ideal setting for Theodore to start to his ascent into becoming one of the league’s best all-around defensemen.