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Golden Knights Sign Star Defenseman to Huge Extension

The Vegas Golden Knights have finalized a contract extension with one of their top defensemen.

Jacob Punturi

Oct 9, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Victor Olofsson (95) celebrates with defenseman Shea Theodore (27) after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
Oct 9, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Victor Olofsson (95) celebrates with defenseman Shea Theodore (27) after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
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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 and they already have a Stanley Cup championship and are a perennial Cup contender.

One of the biggest successes of the Golden Knights' front office is their ability to acquire 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 to a seven-year contract extension.

The new deal will keep Theodore with the Golden Knights through the 2031-2032 season, ending any question as to whether the star defender would hit the open market or not next summer. The deal will pay him a total of just under $52 million over the life of the contract and carries an average annual value of $7.425 million.

Theodore has been a consistent two-way defenseman since joining the NHL. Originally selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2013 draft, he only played parts of two seasons with the Ducks before joining the Golden Knights. His career production is largely in line with what has been expected as he's become a dependable 40-55 point player who guarantees his team at least 20 minutes of ice-time a night.

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

So far this season, Theodore is off to a hot start. He has seven points in six games while averaging 22 minutes of ice-time per game.

With Theodore locked up long-term, the Golden Knights now have their top three defensemen locked up for the next three seasons at least. He joins Pietrangelo and Hanifin as the trio of puck-movers making at least $7.35 million per season.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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