The Vegas Golden Knights look to be without Shea Theodore’s services for the foreseeable future. The team expects him to be out week-to-week; however, on yesterday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman said he heard Theodore’s return date would be closer to the playoffs. His absence creates a hole not only on the back end but also on the first power play unit.
Losing Theodore for the rest of the regular season would obviously be a devastating blow. It’s not easy to replace a player like Theodore, but the Golden Knights will have to try. Theodore is third on the team in scoring with 48 points in 55 games. He’s second in ice time, and is a big reason the Golden Knights power play is tied for 2nd in the league.
I can think of three temporary solutions to this problem.
Stand Pat With Korczak
Slotting Kaedan Korczak in for Theodore is the easiest thing to do. General Manager Kelly McCrimmon isn’t afraid to make moves, but he also isn’t one to make panic trades. So, it’s likely that the Golden Knights will at least see what Korczak can do in an increased role.
Kaedan Korczak is a big 24-year-old smooth-skating right-shot defenseman. He can move the puck well without overcomplicating his game or trying to force plays. His true strength is his defensive work, and he plays a simple, shutdown style of hockey. Korczak is 6’3” and uses his size to his advantage in front of the net.
I doubt Korczak would see power play time. One of Noah Hanifin or Alex Pietrangelo could slide up to the top unit; Brandon Saad could fill the vacant spot on the second unit.
Korczak has struggled to stick with the NHL club this season, so there’s no guarantee that this will work. But the Golden Knights would be remiss if they didn’t see what they had in him before giving up limited assets for a replacement.
Trade for a Top-4 Replacement
This one is going to be a little trickier. If Theodore does end up being out until the playoffs, the Golden Knights can stash his contract on LTIR– hold the jokes, please– until the postseason. That would free up a good amount of cap space to work with.
What the Golden Knights do not have, however, are many tradable assets. They have seven draft picks this year, but no first-rounder. In fact, the Golden Knights don’t have a first-round pick until 2027. Deals are rarely centered around a first-rounder three years in the future, which makes sense– that kid hasn’t even taken his PSATs yet– but it does complicate things.
The Golden Knights have limited assets, meaning they have to either dream small or dip into their prospect pool. It’s tough to gauge player value, especially in a seller’s market, but I wonder about a player like Brandon Carlo. The Boston Bruins are in limbo, and I could see them selling off assets at the deadline to improve their chances for next year. Carlo makes $4.1 million per year through 2027, so he’s hardly a rental. I don’t know what Carlo would cost, or even if the Bruins are willing to part with him, but he could be a suitable replacement.
If the Golden Knights wanted a big fish, they’d have to sacrifice prospects. Dangling Trevor Connelly, for example, would undoubtedly entice a general manager. If the Golden Knights trade Connelly, it won’t be for a rental; Connelly has a lot of raw talent and offensive upside. McCrimmon won’t– or shouldn’t, at least– trade the best prospect in the system unless the return is substantial.
Look to the Henderson Silver Knights
This possibility is more out there, but bear with me. If replacing Theodore’s power play production is a top priority, the Golden Knights have a feasible in-house solution: Calen Addison.
Addison is a right-shot with a high offensive ceiling. He’s undersized but a very good puck-mover. He likes to jump into the play and is skilled with the puck on his stick.
Addison leads the Henderson Silver Knights in scoring with 26 points in 41 games. He has 16 goals and 84 points in 118 career AHL games. He’s played a total of 152 NHL games and has 50 points. In 2022-23, Addison played 62 games for the Minnesota Wild, and 18 of his 29 points came on the power play.
Addison is currently on an AHL-only contract, so he would first have to sign a two-way contract. Signing Addison wouldn’t be an issue; the Golden Knights have 48 players signed to standard contracts out of the 50 they’re allowed.
Now, Addison isn’t without his flaws. He seems to lack defensive awareness– either that or his size (5’11”, 173 lbs) prevents him from fully playing his position. Addison often loses battles in front of the net and allows his man to get positioning on him. He’s not very good at protecting the puck, and when opponents force turnovers, he’s slow on his backcheck.
“The puck skills are great; the commitment to defense is not,” wrote Steve Kournianos in a predraft ranking. “Addison is a very good puck manager with a hard shot who needs to clean up his play inside his own end.”
That assessment was true then, and it remains true now. Addison would need work, but pairing him with a purely defensive defender like Brayden McNabb could help ease his growing pains. He would be a reclamation project, but haven’t the Golden Knights done well with those in the past? Think of Chandler Stephenson, or Brett Howden, or even Shea Theodore. When Theodore arrived in Vegas, he wasn’t perfect defensively; now, he’s more than capable in his ownzone.
No solution is without its flaws, but that’s what happens when you lose a player of Shea Theodore’s caliber: you lose.