RALEIGH, North Carolina — There was a slight moment where Shea Theodore looked offended.
The day prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference Final, Theodore sat at the podium with a fellow defenseman and one of his best friends, Dylan Coghlan. Toward the end, a question regarding Theodore and an interesting tidbit arrived.
If you were told before the playoffs that you would be leading the playoffs in blocked shots, would you believe it?
There was a slight chuckle from Theodore, who seemed caught off guard — not by the question, but that it was perplexing to think he wouldn’t do such a thing. That the offensive-minded defenseman with slick mitts and blazing speed wouldn’t be willing to get in front of a few pucks.
Theodore gave a poignant response.
“I just think we have a lot of guys willing,” Theodore said. “I think you look at the chances we gave up, there’s a lot of great plays. … I think everyone is willing to do their part.”
Days passed since that exchange, and Theodore was approached to discuss the Vegas Golden Knights being in the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine years. Theodore, one of the few Original Misfits left, has been part of all of them.
It takes a lot to offend Theodore, so it’s no surprise that he laughed it off and thought that it was funny. It did take him aback, though, knowing that he leads the Knights with 46 blocked shots through three rounds.
He’s the guy
Theodore, 30, is averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time in the playoffs. He’s fourth on the team in shorthanded ice time. All while putting up 11 points in 16 playoff games, leading all Knights defensemen.
Theodore has become the Knights’ unquestioned No. 1 defenseman — a role that going into this season was a giant question mark, considering the immeasurable gap left behind when Alex Pietrangelo went on long-term injured reserve with a hip injury.
To replace Pietrangelo — a player of more than 1,000 NHL games, a Stanley Cup champion and one of the unquestioned locker room leaders — took a village.
The Knights hoped that Theodore and Noah Hanifin would take on that responsibility. When they acquired Rasmus Andersson in January, general manager Kelly McCrimmon felt he brought all the intangibles that Pietrangelo had.
But one would have to take on such responsibility if the Knights were going to be where they are now, which is four wins from another championship. A No. 1 defenseman, after all, is why McCrimmon went after Pietrangelo in October 2020 and signed him to a seven-year contract. Theodore has become that.
“It’s not an easy job, by any means,” Theodore said. “Watching from a distance and how Petro handled it, was impressive. He did it for a long time, for sure. Not a lot of easy minutes. Always playing against top-pair guys at the end of games, pressure situations on the kill. Stuff that I think over the course of the season I’ve grown accustomed to.”
Slowly but surely
It was always going to take Theodore time to grow into that role.
His first go-round in the Stanley Cup Final is largely remembered for his turnover in Game 3 that led to the eventual game-winning goal for the Washington Capitals in 2018. He struggled offensively during the 2023 championship run, only to finally break out in the final against the Florida Panthers.
A broken wrist last year during the 4 Nations Face-Off ended what was the best season of his career, one that was putting him in Norris Trophy conversations. This year, Theodore learned about sacrifice. A power-play option most of his career, he was taken off the top unit to allow the Knights to run their five-forward unit with newly-signed Mitch Marner in his place.
Power-play time was replaced with penalty-kill time. Theodore found ways to be impactful on that side of the puck. He has been instrumental in a PK unit that has killed 87.5 percent of power plays during the playoffs.
“I don’t know if he’s gotten better or more steady. With Petro out, he kind of had more responsibilities a little bit, and he’s handled it awesomely,” longtime defense partner Brayden McNabb said. “He’s been great. Even the last minutes of games, penalty kill, he’s done a lot more this year and he’s been really good at it.”
Pietrangelo was the workhorse for five years. He played in all situations, but did so with ease. It looked effortless no matter if he was jumping into the play offensively, or breaking up a 2-on-1.
Switching focus to defense has put Theodore in that category. And there’s no questioning Theodore’s stamina when on the ice. He’s played 30 minutes six times in his playoff career. Three times have come this postseason alone.
“The thing that’s interesting for me, is you think you know a player after he’s been in the league a number of years, and Shea’s game this season has added a completely different layer than what we’re used to,” McCrimmon said. “He’s always been a great puck mover, always been a very good offensive defenseman.
“Really proud of him, to be honest with you. I think he’s really grown into it.”
Student becomes teacher
Part of the responsibility includes being trusted with tough situations. Such was the case in the close-out Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks. With McNabb suspended, Coghlan — in his fourth career playoff game — skated on the top pairing with Theodore. They both finished with a plus-3 in the 5-1 win.
“That’s one of the cooler moments of my career, I think, not only just playing with him, but on that stage,” Coghlan said.
Coghlan and Theodore had different paths to the NHL, but both came up through the Knights organization. Even though Theodore had a faster track to the NHL, their friendship stayed strong. Coghlan and his fiancee, Ali, have been close with Theodore and his wife, Mariana.
When Coghlan was asked to describe Theodore’s evolution, he interjected and joked, “Talking about how s—-ty of a hockey player he is?”
But Coghlan quickly added that Theodore is “obviously an elite player, but I think he’s a better human, in my eyes.”
“He was probably the guy I looked up to the most, him and Petro,” Coghlan said. “I always said when I was younger, Petro was the guy I wanted to play like. Shea, it’s cool watching him and achieving all these things he’s doing with Team Canada stuff, 4 Nations, all that stuff.
“It’s pretty close to see somebody that you’re close with achieve all those things, becoming a dad and changing in a good way. It’s pretty cool.”
All hands on deck
The Knights have used their available defensemen throughout this run, whether through McNabb’s suspension or Jeremy Lauzon’s health. It’s part of that village that was talked about before the season, and how Pietrangelo found a way to bring the unit together in times of injury.
“We’ve had a lot of guys step up,” Theodore said. “(Coghlan) came in at kind of a crucial time and he played really well. (Ben Hutton) was in, (Kaedan Korczak) was in. Guys have come in and really stepped up and played some big minutes.”
Theodore has become part of the expectation. That getting to the Stanley Cup Final has become the norm. That it’s to be expected every year, from the start of training camp through June.
The Knights are four wins away from a second title in four years, and Theodore has played a role in making that happen. If the Knights are to do that, they need the kind of elite play from a No. 1 defenseman.
Theodore has entered the chat.
“There’s a number of us that are still here from ‘23,” he said. “That camaraderie, you go through the ups and downs of the season, you stick together and you kind of build it over time. It’s fun having that excitement back in the locker room.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Golden Knights at Hurricanes
What: Game 1, Stanley Cup Final
When: 5 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
TV: ABC
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM
Line: Hurricanes -150; total 5½
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Stanley Cup Final schedule
Game 1: Tuesday, 5 p.m. at Lenovo Center (ABC)
Game 2: Thursday, 5 p.m. at Lenovo Center (ABC)
Game 3: June 6, 5 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena (ABC)
Game 4: June 9, 5 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena (ABC)
*Game 5: June 11, 5 p.m. at Lenovo Center (ABC)
*Game 6: June 14, 5 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena (ABC)
*Game 7: June 17, 5 p.m. at Lenovo Center (ABC)
*if necessary
