Golden Knights still shorthanded as season resumes

LAS VEGAS — Kelly McCrimmon’s heart must’ve sunk as he watched Shea Theodore holding his right arm after taking a check from Adrian Kempe in the first period of Canada’s opening game vs. Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Vegas Golden Knights general manager had feared one of his five players might sustain an injury in the best-on-best tournament which concluded Thursday in Boston as Canada beat the United States in overtime, 3-2. Sure enough, Theodore, who was having an outstanding season for the Knights, will be out for a while with a wrist injury. Whether he finds himself with William Karlsson on long-term injured reserve remains to be seen. ESPN reported Thursday Theodore has a broken right wrist so it’s likely he’s headed to LTIR.

On the bright side, at least Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin managed to get through the 4 Nations unscathed. Adin Hill also avoided getting bit by the injury bug as he backed up Jordan Binnington in the Canada goal. Hill never played in the tournament.

Still, as Vegas prepares to resume its season Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena vs. Vancouver, it does so with its lineup missing pieces. The Knights should have defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and forward Victor Olofsson back for the Canucks. It likely means Kaedan Korczak will be in the lineup in Theodore’s spot. Or maybe Ben Hutton is ready to rejoin the lineup. Hutton hasn’t played since Nov. 17.  

Either way, Theodore’s absence will impact the team. And if he goes on LTIR as expected, it will give McCrimmon some room to maneuver to pick up someone via trade, assuming we don’t see Theodore again until the playoffs in mid-April. He’s making $5.2 million this season in what is the final year of his original VGK deal. You may recall he signed a seven-year extension in late October that has an average annual value of $7.43 million. But that number doesn’t kick in until next season.

The NHL trade deadline is March 7. And if Karlsson’s lower-body injury doesn’t allow him to return until the playoffs, that’s an additional $5.9 million at McCrimmon’s disposal.

History tells us that the Knights are never afraid to spend to improve the roster. And since the salary cap doesn’t come into play once the postseason starts, there could be a big opportunity to get some scoring depth, which they can certainly use. Through 56 games, Vegas is averaging 3.29 goals a game, which is tied for sixth overall in the NHL. Winnipeg (3.91) and Washington (3.56) are 1-2 in scoring and it’s no coincidence the Jets and the Capitals are the leaders in their respective conferences. So you better be able to put the puck in the net if you’re serious about contending for the Stanley Cup.

Would someone like Brock Nelson pique McCrimmon’s interest? Nelson is a pending UFA at season’s end and the Islanders’ veteran center has a proven track record for finding the back of the net. He’s a bit of a streaky scorer however and at age 33, if you’re going to re-sign him to any kind of term, you’re taking a bit of a risk.

Nelson, who is making $6 million this season, remains at the forefront of trade rumors and while he has said he doesn’t want to leave Long Island, that doesn’t mean anything. John Tavares said the same thing and he wound up going to Toronto as a UFA.

Plus, the Knights are strong up the middle with Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Nic Roy and Brett Howden. Though both Roy and Howden could move to the wing were the Knights to acquire another center.

My guess is McCrimmon looks to add a winger, not a center if he does anything. Remember, he recently acquired Brandon Saad and so far, Saad looks like someone who can help. Of course, he’s only played three games with Vegas so the jury’s still out on him.
 
The Buffalo Sabres are reportedly shopping Alex Tuch and while Tuch’s name is linked to a possible trade with Los Angeles, perhaps a return to Vegas is potentially doable. Tuch, now 28, has another year on his current deal, worth $4.7 million. He was sent to Buffalo as part of the deal in 2021 that brought Eichel to the Knights and Tuch has 19 goals and 43 points in 56 games this year for the struggling Sabres.

Would McCrimmon bring a former Golden Knights player back? He has yet to do so in his tenure with the club.
 
As far as the blue line goes, perhaps he looks at adding a defenseman though he has gone on record saying he likes the current group and with Korczak likely drawing in the Knights can see if he fits in their long-term plans. Coach Bruce Cassidy appears to like Korczak and seems willing to play him. Hutton has also shown he can play NHL minutes as a third D pairing.

Chicago may be looking to part with Seth Jones for the right price after Jones supposedly asked to be traded. The problem is Jones’ salary is $9.5 million. He’s also 30 years old and he’s signed through 2030. That might be too rich for Vegas’ blood.

As the season gets set to resume, the Knights are tied with Edmonton for first in the Pacific Division with 72 points though the Oilers have a game in hand. Six of the upcoming seven games are at T-Mobile Arena so here’s a chance to build some momentum before the final east coast trip in mid-March which takes the team to Pittsburgh, Columbus, Buffalo and Detroit.

Things are going to move quickly so be ready to learn some new names as McCrimmon figures out how to bolster his roster for the stretch run.