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Shea Theodore Stepping Up As VGK’s Top Two-Way D-Man

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On October 13, 2026

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

To start the 2026-27 NHL season, several defensemen came out of the gates scorching hot. Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard is among the league leaders with six goals. Colorado’s Cale Makar and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes are on pace for 110+ points. Locally, VGK’s top blueliner Shea Theodore is on pace to end the season with several career highs. If things keep going the way they have, he might even finish with 200+ shots on net and 50+ points. Along with his strong defensive coverage, Theodore has been a constant concern for all seven opponents.

Theodore’s First 7 Game Overview

  • Average Minutes Per Game: 21:45 (VGK Leader)
  • Blocked Shots: 10 (VGK 2nd)
  • Plus/Minus: +7 (VGK 2nd)
  • Shots on Goal: 16 (VGK 4th)
  • Points: 3 (VGK T-9th)

Two elements of Theodore’s start stand out after six games. First is the frequency with which he’s been blocking shots this season. The 31-year-old has never led his club in blocked shots in his entire career. So far, Theodore has successfully gotten in the way of 10 shots on goal and has attempted to block many more. Right now, he is on pace to block 20 more shots than his career best in 2021-22.

Theodore could end the season in the Brayden McNabb average blocked-shot territory. Heck, maybe this allows McNabb’s hips, legs, and thighs to heal up from the years he’s sacrificed his body for the Golden Knights.

Theodore’s Blocked Shot Totals

  • 2021-22: 97 BS
  • 2022-23: 82 BS
  • 2023-24: 78 BS
  • 2024-25: 82 BS
  • 2025-26: 95 BS
  • 2026-27: On Pace For 120 BS

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Inaugural Team’s Return Offered A Reminder That Fun Still Remains

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On October 12, 2026

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @DiSportsMom on X/Twitter)

Over the weekend, the Golden Knights did a wonderful job honoring the 2017-18 team that went on one of the most magical runs in American sports history, and captured the hearts of Las Vegas.

The return of so many familiar faces offered a reminder of what made that inaugural season special, not just on the ice, but away from it. In those early days, locker room conversations centered on a season no one quite knew what to expect from. At practice, players were still marveling at their white gloves and the novelty of wearing gear with Vegas across it.

There was a palpable exuberance around the team. And whenever head coach Gerard Gallant stepped behind a microphone, he seemed to return to the same three-letter word to describe what he wanted his players to have on the ice: Fun.

That message was so persistent that it could sometimes seem as though hockey itself was secondary. And in recent years, that word has disappeared from the vernacular.

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Why I Believe The Golden Knights’ 9-Year Sellout Streak Ended

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On October 10, 2026

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas)

October 8th, 2026, marked the end of an era at T-Mobile Arena. The date itself will go down in the record books as the first time in Vegas Golden Knights history they failed to sell out a game, but the occasion has been a long time in the making.

All sorts of reasons will be given as to why it happened, and happened so abruptly, on a Thursday night game in October against Canadian opposition. Every single one of them has merit. From Metallica playing down the street to the price of parking and concessions. To our neighbors to the North’s distaste for this country to the rise in gas, groceries, and everything else. It’s all true, and it all played a part, but none of it captures what actually happened at Thursday night’s game, and what will inevitably continue to occur the rest of the season.

At its simplest, this is a question of value. The combined cost of tickets, parking, and concessions is no longer worth it to enough people to fill the building.

The question is why.

Here’s my oversimplified thesis: It has never been harder to be a Golden Knights fan because the organization has shifted from building a community around hockey to operating like any other billion-dollar corporation, with profit as its defining priority.

Some of this comes down to circumstances, or the uncontrollable. The rest comes down to choices, or the controllable.

The uncontrollable factors have dominated the discussion to this point. Blaming the economy, Canadians’ understandable reluctance to visit the US, and “success fatigue” is easier than asking whether the organization has damaged its relationship with fans. That’s especially true of observers whose social media hot takes reveal little understanding of Las Vegas.

To be fair, all of these factors have an impact. Their importance varies from fan to fan, but each accounts for a slice of the fault pie behind the end of VGK’s incredible 397-game* sellout streak. Together, however, they do not account for the whole.

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In Short Sample, Hertl And Oloffson Steering Vegas’ Secondary Scoring

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On October 8, 2026

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

On Tuesday night in Seattle, Vegas center Tomas Hertl had a throwback type of game. Hertl tied the game with a power play goal in the opening period, recorded a primary and a secondary assist, and scored a second time on the PP in the 3rd. Four-point nights are rare, even for Jack Eichel, who shared the same accomplishment on Tuesday (Eichel has done it 8 times in 319 games in Vegas).

Since his arrival, Vegas center Tomas Hertl has recorded 61 goals in 165 games. Hertl is averaging 0.37 goals per game in gold, a scoring rate comparable to those of former Golden Knights Jonathan Marchessault and Max Pacioretty. So far, through four games, Hertl is on pace for his best goal-per-game average in a Vegas sweater.

It’s gravy to win like that, that but it’s tough to see Olofsson going down. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, because he helped us win all three games. – Tomas Hertl

Last season, Hertl’s production was relatively disappointing. While he played all 82 games, the power play specialist averaged only .29 tallies per 60. Disappointingly, it was the 5th-best average on the team. Hertl’s annual pay suggests he underachieved in 2025-26. It looks like he took notice.

So, while Golden Knights fans shouldn’t expect many Connor McDavid-like nights from Hertl, they should anticipate more multi-goal games. Same goes for Victor Olofsson, when he returns from the injury. Last season, Hertl recorded only two multi-goal affairs. He’s halfway there with 80 games remaining.

It was a concern over the offseason how Vegas would replace the goals that they lost to Pavel Dorofeyev’s departure. Early on, Olofsson looks every bit like the fill-in goal scorer the front office signed him to be. While the two shot-first Golden Knights are sizzling hot, there will be cool-down moments. Like Hertl, Olofsson will naturally go on scoreless stretches. It won’t matter if they can combine for 60-70 goals by April.

Clearly, health will play a factor in every Golden Knight player’s production. For the plan to work, Hertl and Olofsson must be generating. Dorofeyev and Hertl combined for 61, right now, with Olofsson, the current pace is much higher. On top of that, they may have solved the quality and quantity of shots problem as well.

Hertl has already racked up 14 shots on goal in just four games. Only Shea Theodore and Mitch Marner are also in double-digits.

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Sportsnet Experts Leave VGK Out Of Cup Contenders

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On October 3, 2026

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: J. Tyge O’Donnell, LVSportsBiz.com)

It’s always fun to go back at the end of the season and look at who was right and who was terribly wrong. On the latest SinBin.vegas podcast, we made our picks and, surprisingly, both chose the Carolina Hurricanes to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Also, we both have the Golden Knights in the postseason fairly easily. Regardless of their seeding in the 2027 playoffs, our expectations are extremely high for the Golden Knights. There’s no reason why Vegas can’t be back-to-back Western Conference champions.

(Credit: Sportsnet)

The NHL experts at Sportsnet put out their selections this week, and unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they weren’t high on VGK this season.

Sportsnet’s Pacific Division Winner

  • Edmonton Oilers (16)
  • Vegas Golden Knights (3)
  • Anaheim Ducks (1)
  • San Jose Sharks (1)

Clearly, Sportsnet is expecting a bounce-back year from the Oilers. Also, the experts seem to believe in the unthinkable: the Oilers winning the division (they haven’t done it since 1987). Golden Knights fans should feel happy with the lack of confidence from Sportsnet. The experts are rarely right.

Sportsnet’s Western Conference Champion

  • Edmonton Oilers (9)
  • Colorado Avalanche (8)
  • Dallas Stars (2)
  • Minnesota Wild (1)
  • Utah Mammoth (1)

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Tomas Hertl Poised To Be Vegas’ X-Factor In 2026-27

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On September 26, 2026

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Over his career, Tomas Hertl has averaged 26 goals per season. As a Golden Knight, he’s averaging 29.5 tallies per season, more than Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, and just a touch below Jack Eichel. Last year, the 2024 deadline acquisition performed under expectations. He led the Golden Knights with a -17 plus/minus, was middle of the pack in shooting percentage, and scored 8 fewer goals than he did the previous season. Without piling on, Hert’s season was a letdown, and it got even worse early in the postseason. The middle-six center’s goals per game dropped to 0.22, and his average minutes of ice time was cut by almost four minutes.

I remember when I lost (in the Stanley Cup Final), I was obviously sad, but I thought I’d probably be back in two or three years. Over the years, you figure out how hard it is to get there. – Tomas Hertl

Hert scored just five goals in 22 playoff games, but two of them were game winners. However, six other Golden Knights scored more along their Stanley Cup Final run. Even defenseman Shea Theodore had one more postseason goal and three more shots on net. In previous years with the San Jose Sharks, Hertl landed 50+ shots on goal multiple times in the playoffs, so there’s no doubt he can take more chances. This has to be the season the 32-year-old gets back to the basics and returns to that 30+ goal scorer the NHL is used to.

If Vegas can rely on #48 this season on a much more consistent basis, then new coach Ryan Craig can presumably sleep better at night. Craig knows how difficult it is to replace a 40-goal scorer, but if Hertl can raise his total, he can almost act as VGK’s big offensive offseason splash. The Golden Knights front office traded for him in 2024 to be a difference maker. This could be the season when the trade really pays off.

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Call Me Crazy, But (Jason’s 2026-27 Picks)

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On September 24, 2026

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It’s not a new season without being called crazy. However, after this year’s submissions, I’m starting to believe I might be clinically insane. Here’s why. Since we began making our unlikely predictions, sadly I’ve jinxed one original Golden Knight year after year. I’m bound to curse one player on this list; let’s hope it’s not him again.

So, let’s kick it off with my first crazy 2026-27 predictions:

Call me crazy, but Tomas Hertl will be VGK’s only 30-goal scorer this season.

It’s not crazy to expect 30 goals from Hertl. He’s reached that mark three times in his career and averages 26 goals per season. The 2025-26 campaign was not Hertl’s best. Let’s be honest, last season was somewhat of a disaster for the 32-year-old Czech. It shouldn’t need saying, but I expect the club and the player to have higher expectations going into 2026-27.

11 5-on-5 goals just won’t cut it from Hertl. I still forecast 10-12 power play goals from him, possibly more with the current power play plan. However, his even-strength goals must increase. Call me crazy but Hertl will lead the Golden Knights this season with 20 EV goals and 34 tallies overall. No one else will reach 30.

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