The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to terms on a seven-year, $51.975 million contract extension with defenseman Shea Theodore, the club announced Thursday.
The deal carries an average annual value of $7.425 million through the 2031-32 season.
The contract includes a no-trade clause through the first five years and a 15-team no-trade clause in the final two years of the deal, per PuckPedia. Theodore was set to hit unrestricted free agency at the end of this season.
Theodore has been a mainstay on the Vegas blue line since the inaugural campaign after the original Golden Misfit was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks as part of a side deal in the 2017 expansion draft. He leads all Vegas defensemen with 296 points in 450 career games.
Trade rumors regarding Theodore’s future in Sin City circulated over the offseason, particularly after the Golden Knights traded for and signed Noah Hanifin to a lucrative eight-year, $58.8 million deal.
However, the Golden Knights have elected to lock up the 29-year-old Theodore, who has been an integral component of Vegas’ defense corps throughout his time in Vegas.
This move solidifies one of the best blue lines in the NHL.
Vegas now has $23.6 million of cap space devoted to three top-pairing defensemen in Hanifin and Theodore (signed through 2031-32) as well as Alex Pietrangelo (AAV: $8.8 million through 2026-27).
Theodore’s 296 points rank third all-time in Vegas scoring, and he has a franchise-high 229 assists. He is second behind only Jonathan Marchessault (9) with seven overtime goals.
Theodore also tops Vegas rearguards in postseason production with 60 points in 94 contests.
He scored the first playoff goal in franchise history in Game 1 against Los Angeles in the 2018 postseason, and he is fourth among NHL defensemen in postseason scoring since the 2017-18 campaign, trailing only Victor Hedman (80), Cale Makar (80) and Miro Heiskanen (61).
Theodore led all Golden Knights defensemen with 13 points in 21 games in 2023 en route to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Theodore, currently playing in his eighth season with the Golden Knights, is off to a strong start this year with one goal and seven points in six games. He missed several months due to injury last season but recorded 42 points in 47 games. He is an elite puck-moving defenseman with dynamic skill and game-breaking ability.
He also has a knack for scoring clutch goals, including the series-clinching tally in Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks in 2020.
This is the second seven-year extension Theodore has signed with Vegas after inking a $36.4 million deal (AAV: $5.2 million) back in 2018.
Theodore has a total of 72 goals and 313 points in 503 career NHL games, including 53 games with the Ducks.