Did The 4 Nations Shea Theodore Injury Allow Vegas To Cheese With LTIR Again?

Did The 4 Nations Shea Theodore Injury Allow Vegas To Cheese With LTIR Again?

We’ve all seen this story before. Usually, it’s Mark Stone who is doing the LTIR cheese. This year it sounds like Shea Theodore is going to be that guy this year. If the Vegas Golden Knights make another big splash at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, they can thank the 4 Nations tournament for it.

Theodore was in the midst of a career best season prior to this injury. The Canadian defenseman notched 48 points in 55 games for the VGK this year. Then Adrian Kempe pinned him up the board and Theodore broke his wrist on this play.

Shea Theodore goes to the Canada locker room after a collision with Adrian Kempe pic.twitter.com/nXjUlX8QdM

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 13, 2025

Theodore is listed as week to week right now. With 24 games remaining, all indications point to him being back around the time the playoffs start.

Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast confirmed just that…

“It sounds like Theodore’s timeline is pretty close to the playoffs from the best I can tell,” Friedman said. “It sounds like it’s close but you just never know.”

Kelly McCrimmon: ‘Ridiculous To Suggest’ VGK Are Faking Injuries

Theodore, 29, costs $5.2 million against the cap this season. That means the VGK would have that full allotment to spend at the deadline. Could that mean a sexy splash like Mikko Rantanen? Even if it’s not Rantanen, the positive is that Vegas now has options in terms of finding that last scoring winger to put them over the top.

For what it’s worth, Theodore’s new extension kicks in next year where he will earn a slight raise from what he’s making this season.

While Theodore is out, Kaedan Korczak has taken his spot in the lineup, and all things considered, he’s done pretty well in limited playing time. Korczak is a young prospect who has shown potential and has two points in two games since the 4 Nations break.

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