Vegas Golden Knights activate Shea Theodore off of IR, possible to return to lineup vs. Sharks

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore may finally be making a return to the lineup, as he has been activated off of injured reserve.

There’s currently no confirmation as to if Theodore, 28, will actually draw into the Golden Knights’ lineup for Monday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, but being activated off of IR does make him eligible to return.

Theodore has been out of the lineup for almost three months, having last played on November 22 when he suffered an upper-body injury in a 2-1 overtime win over the Dallas Stars. He’s missed the last 34 games for the Golden Knights with the injury, with Vegas struggling a bit without him with a 17-13-4 record in that span.

The injury slowed down what was a hot start to the season for Theodore, as he had 4 goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 20 games. That pace would have easily surpassed his career-high of 52 points had he remained healthy. His 0.9 points per game this season is eighth amongst defensemen this season.

Theodore was the 26th-overall pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2013 NHL Draft, making his NHL debut in 2015-16 and spending two seasons in Anaheim before he was traded to the Golden Knights in return for Vegas taking Clayton Stoner’s contract in the expansion draft. He’s one of just five players remaining from that inaugural Golden Knights roster, spending the past seven seasons with the team and winning a Stanley Cup in 2023.

Theodore is currently in the sixth year of a seven-year contract with a $5.2 million cap hit, one he signed as an extension just before the start of the 2018-19 season.

The Golden Knights currently sits in second in the Pacific Division with an 31-17-6 record. They will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses when they visit the San Jose Sharks on Monday at 4 p.m. EST.