Former Seattle Thunderbird Shea Theodore signs a 7-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights

Former Seattle Thunderbird defenseman Shea Theodore has signed a 7-year $36.4-million contract with last years Stanley Cup Finalist Vegas Golden Knights. Entering negotiations as an unrestricted free agent, he is now the highest-paid defenseman on the team with an average annual salary of $5.2-million.

Theodore played five seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds (four games during 2010-11) where he finished with 58 goals, 154 assists, and 212 points in 257 games. He was acquired during the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft in exchange for the Golden Knights selecting defenseman Clayton Stoner from the Anaheim Ducks. Prior to skating in Vegas, he spent two seasons in the Ducks organization where playing-time was split between the Ducks and their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.

”We were pretty confident based on the way he played last year and what he did at his age last year, to really play that well and play that well in the playoffs,” McPhee told Golden Knights correspondent Danny Webster. “We were confident of what we were going to have now and in the future.”

In 61 games with Vegas, Theodore sat second in average on-ice time with 20:21 and was featured in their first power-play unit. He finished the season with 6 goals, 21 assists, and 29 points — including 3 goals and seven assists for 10 points during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.