Since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, the Vegas Golden Knights have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They’ve found another gear, going 12-3-2 while playing some of their most complete hockey of the season.
At this point, making the playoffs isn’t the focus—it’s more so about securing the right path once they get there. Last year’s first-round exit at the hands of the Dallas Stars still lingers, and having a repeat of that wouldn’t be ideal.
Related: Carl Lindbom’s Development Points to NHL Future with Golden Knights
We start this week’s News and Rumors with good news on the injury front as Shea Theodore officially has been inserted back into the lineup. He returns after suffering a broken wrist in the 4 Nations Face-Off opener.
Theodore’s Return
Theodore was injured with Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off and hasn’t played a game since Feb. 12. He returns as the Golden Knights’ premier defenseman and their leading scorer on the backend with seven goals and 51 points.
“It’s been long, for sure,” Theodore said. “You never want to miss any time. Unfortunate injury, but I feel good and hopefully feel stronger. This time of year, any kind of boost is good. I’m feeling fresh resting my legs a little bit over the past couple of weeks, so I just (want to bring) a little bit of energy.”
General manager Kelly McCrimmon was quiet during the trade deadline, only acquiring Reilly Smith, who returned to the lineup as an original misfit but didn’t make that splashy move many assumed he would. Getting Theodore back is almost a trade acquisition in itself, especially as one of the most prominent players on the team.
“He’s been skating, looks good,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Part of [his] game we missed the most was neutral zone transition breakouts. He can be a one-man breakout for sure, so that part of our game was still solid, but that’s one of his best attributes.”
The defenseman has three points in his first three games back and hasn’t missed a beat.
Dorofeyev Becoming a Legitimate Threat
Earlier this season, I wrote an article on Pavel Dorofeyev that can be found here. His rise was intriguing, but given his track record of inconsistency, there was never a guarantee he’d sustain that level of success.
As we enter the final stretch of the season, he’s kept that success up and has been one of the biggest stories in Sin City this season. During his 2024-25 campaign, he’s recorded 31 goals and 47 points and is tied with Tomáš Hertl for the most goals on the team.
The team went through a makeover, losing Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, William Carrier, and more, and found their replacement under their noses with Dorofeyev.
The 24-year-old has surged this season with Vegas, and despite early skepticism, it looks like there’s no turning back for the Russian winger.
Loose Pucks
- Hertl was injured earlier last week after he landed awkwardly into the boards after a hit from behind and looked to grab his shoulder/collarbone area. It certainly didn’t look pretty, and the team has been pretty quiet since then, so the severity of the injury is unknown. However, the team was reportedly “concerned,” so we’ll see where that goes in the coming days.
- With the playoffs slowly creeping up, it’s a good time to see who the Golden Knights will play. Of course, the entire league saw what happened last season with their first-round exit to the Stars in seven games; luckily, they won’t have to play the Stars in Round 1. As of now, it’ll likely be the St. Louis Blues or Minnesota Wild.
- The Golden Knights have two Pacific Division titles in their franchise history and will look to make it three after the conclusion of the regular season. They sit in first place, seven points up on the Los Angeles Kings, looking to add yet another banner at the fortress.
- Adin Hill recently signed a six-year extension to keep him in Vegas for the foreseeable future. Oftentimes, after signing an extension, players regress and struggle to maintain their previous level of performance. That hasn’t been the case for Hill, as he’s been lights out, registering an 11-1-1 record in his past 13 games.
