Contract Talks Still Quiet Between Golden Knights, Top Defenseman

The Vegas Golden Knights' top defenseman is entering the final year of his current contract.

Oct 17, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) prepares for a face off against the Dallas Stars during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Vegas Golden Knights have proven to be cold and calculated when it comes to their roster decisions, but there are a few players that they'll seemingly make an exception for.

One of those players is star defenseman Shea Theodore, who's been with the Knights since their inaugural season in 2017. Theodore, 28, has been one of the Knights' top blue-liners for several years now, and with a cap hit of just $5.2 million, he comes at a bargain too.

However, the Knights won't have that luxury for long, as Theodore's entering the final year of a seven-year contract he signed in 2018. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Vegas hasn't even begun extension talks with the star defenseman yet.

"Not yet, I have no doubt that they haven't talked about it," Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast. "I've been focusing on some of the other ones so I haven't really paid attention to that one yet. The Knights really try to do their business quietly. Guys want to stay there. [Noah] Hanifin wanted to go to Tampa, gets traded to Vegas and he signs. Mark Stone gets traded there, he signs. A lot of their guys sign. Logan Thompson got traded because 'I want more of an opportunity.' I don't think that's necessarily going to be a problem with Theodore. He gets plenty of opportunity there. "

"The Knights find ways to keep the people that they want and I think if Theodore wants to stay and the Knights want him to stay, I always assume that this is a place where people are going to stay. Now could there be a whopper of a contract out there that maybe he's thinking about, we'll find out but to me, people don't generally leave the Golden Knights unless there's an obvious reason for them to do so."

Last season, Hanifin finished with five goals and 42 points, the most among Knights defensemen, despite only playing 47 points due to injury. The season was still a tricky one for him, though. Not just due to injury, but because Vegas' acquisition of Hanifin, and subsequent extension, cast doubt on his future in Sin City.

Theodore is one of just three players remaining from the Knights' inaugural season, the others being Brayden McNabb and William Karlsson. Zach Whitecloud was technically on the Knights' roster that season, but only played one single game.

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