Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) takes a shot on goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames at T-Mobile Arena Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 | 2 a.m.
The Vegas Golden Knights, a team that had as many as eight players on injured reserve at one point this season, are getting healthier.
The latest returnee will be defenseman Shea Theodore after missing nearly three months with an upper-body surgery.
The Golden Knights will be thrilled to have their star defenseman back in the fold, but Theodore’s return means someone has to come out of the lineup and be a healthy scratch as the seventh defenseman.
It appears the Golden Knights will approach that seventh spot on a rotating, contingency basis.
“I would say it’s situational,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.
How that situation pans out depends on who comes out of the lineup.
Among Vegas’ defensemen, those who play to the left of the goalie are the more stay-at-home type who display a defense-first mentality, whereas those on the right generally are solid defenders but also have more of an offensive dimension to their game.
The Golden Knights have multiple players to fill those roles.
Daniil Miromanov played the last three games in the spot held by Theodore, the right side on the second pairing next to Brayden McNabb. Ben Hutton, the 30-year-old journeyman who has found a home in Vegas, has been reliable on the left side.
But the Golden Knights have had to utilize their depth on defense in more ways than one over the course of Theodore’s absence.
Top prospect Kaedan Korczak showed promise with nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 26 games in his first extended action in the NHL. Korczak played 10 games last season.
Because Korczak is waivers exempt — meaning he can be reassigned to AHL Henderson without going through waivers — the Golden Knights have the luxury of moving him to Henderson as often as needed.
Players are waiver exempt until they play 160 NHL games or after action in five NHL seasons. Korczak has played 37 games and this is his third year of NHL games.
“I still think Korczak is in that mix,” Cassidy said. “He’s just able to play in Henderson, so that’s valuable for us.”
Cassidy also liked what he saw in limited NHL action from Lukas Cormier, a former third-round pick from 2020. Cormier got an opportunity because of how desperate the Golden Knights were in need of a fast, puck-moving defenseman on the right side. He had one assist in two games.
The young guys will have their turn. The veterans get the first opportunity.
Hutton has been a reliable stopgap when needed. He played 31 games because of injuries to Alec Martinez, Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud. He had nine points before suffering an upper-body injury that has kept him out since Dec. 28, but he was activated from injured reserve Feb. 12.
Six days before getting hurt, Hutton signed a two-year extension with the Golden Knights. The former journeyman — after playing on four teams in seven years — found a home in Southern Nevada after joining Vegas in October 2021.
“I’m feeling good. Each day is progress,” Hutton said. “I thought I was playing some pretty good hockey, and then the hockey gods come at you and they throw you a little injury. That’s part of the game.”
Cassidy has liked Hutton’s versatility. He would like to keep him on the left side, but he’s shown capable offensive ability to play on the right side if necessary.
Hutton’s mindset has been the same since he got to Vegas. He’s not looking at any potential competition for the seventh spot; rather, he’s waiting in the wings if his name is called.
The same can be said for Miromanov.
While the 26-year-old offensive defenseman doesn’t have the 499 NHL games that Hutton has, his time playing in his native Russia and minor-league hockey has readied him for a full-time opportunity.
Miromanov is just grateful for any opportunity to play, given how the past year has gone.
Miromanov played 14 games last season in Vegas, his last being New Year’s Eve 2022 against the Nashville Predators. Miromanov suffered a broken ankle that night after blocking a shot, keeping him out for the next two months. He had to miss the AHL All-Star Game in the process.
He returned to action for Henderson in late February, but then tore his ACL during a game March 31. Miromanov played his first NHL game in 13 months on Feb. 8 in Arizona.
“Mentally, it takes a lot,” Miromanov said. “You’ve got to be willing to go through everything, go through every single day and use those skills that you have. You have to take it day by day, and that was the message last year. Only the strongest survive. It’s not what happens to us. It’s how we respond.”
The obvious goal for Miromanov is to stay on the NHL roster. But as he continues to work his way back, the competition for more playing time isn’t just a battle with Hutton or Korczak.
It’s a battle against himself.
“I’m fighting with myself every single day. I’m just trying to become better than I was yesterday and prepare for tomorrow,” Miromanov said. “I’m just grateful to practice and play games. I don’t care what happens next week or next month. I’m just focusing on (the future).”
The trade deadline is March 8. It’s significant not just because the Golden Knights could be active in acquiring players to prepare for another Stanley Cup run, but it’s the last day teams are limited to a maximum of 23 players on their roster. Once the trade deadline passes, teams can carry as many players on the NHL roster as long as they are salary cap compliant.
This could be important for Miromanov staying on the Vegas roster. Miromanov would need to go through waivers if the Golden Knights tried to reassign him to Henderson. Given his offensive ability, the chances he would get claimed by one of the 31 other teams is high.
The Golden Knights already lost one defenseman to waivers this season. Former Henderson captain Brayden Pachal was claimed on waivers Feb. 4 by the Calgary Flames.
Once the Golden Knights activate forwards Jack Eichel, William Carrier and Pavel Dorofeyev from injured reserve — along with Theodore — they will have only about $900,000 in cap space to have both Miromanov and Hutton on the roster.
March 8 will come eventually. For now, the Golden Knights are figuring out what they have while evaluating what’s to come.
“That’s part of hockey, the depth that an organization needs to have,” McNabb said. “I think we’ve had solid depth on the back end.”
