Knights’ big question: Who steps up on blue line with Pietrangelo gone?

It was always obvious when Alex Pietrangelo was in the locker room.

It wasn’t just the jokes the Golden Knights defenseman would scream from his stall. Or the occasional chirping if a teammate messed up during a drill.

There was a presence the two-time Stanley Cup champion brought to the room. Maybe that’s just the aura that comes from a former captain that played over 1,000 NHL games.

The Knights will miss that this season. Pietrangelo, 35, is stepping away from hockey to rehab a hip injury that hindered him most of last season.

He will start the year on long-term injured reserve, though he plans to be around the team while rehabbing. He hasn’t closed the door on his playing career, but the odds of him ever suiting up again are low.

“I think that’s important for me is kind of still be here,” Pietrangelo said. “And mentally, it’s great because I love being part of the locker room. Anybody who’s played sports, especially at our age, you get together with the guys and it’s really fun for me to come here and still see everybody, still be part of the group.”

Pietrangelo isn’t going away. But he will leave a huge void on the right side of the Knights’ top pair. Every other member of the blue line will need to step up if the team hopes to win another Stanley Cup.

Theodore’s time

Shea Theodore, who signed a seven-year, $51.975 million extension in October 2024, now becomes the Knights’ unquestioned No. 1 defenseman.

Theodore, 30, scored a career-high 57 points in 67 games last season. He likely would have been a serious Norris Trophy contender if he didn’t break his wrist playing for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

Theodore sat next to Pietrangelo in the Knights’ locker room for five years. It’s been an adjustment for Theodore to not have him there.

“It hasn’t really sunk in,” Theodore said. “Obviously, it’s tough. You never want to see a guy have that happen to him. Just the stuff he’s gone through is crazy.”

Theodore said at the beginning of the offseason he knew he and defenseman Noah Hanifin needed to lead the blue line moving forward. The Original Misfit is ready for the role.

“It seems like I’ve been here for a long time,” Theodore said. “It’s something I’m going to embrace. You never want to see Petro go out, but we’ve had guys miss time and we’ve done it collectively as a group. That’s going to be our focus.”

Hanifin’s helping hand

Hanifin, 28, will also take on more responsibility his second full season with the Knights.

The 2024 trade deadline acquisition, who signed an eight-year, $58.8 million extension in April 2024, should inherit many of Pietrangelo’s former responsibilities. Hanifin will likely see more time on the penalty kill and be tasked with shutting down the opposition’s top players.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said he’s looking to Theodore and Hanifin, as the big-money players on the back end, to lead the way.

“When you lose a guy like Petro, he was just such a big presence in the room, such a big piece of the culture here,” Hanifin said. “It takes other guys to step up. I think for me and Shea in particular, we’re just getting to that point in our careers where we have enough experience now and getting into that age where we’ve learned a lot from guys like Petro. I think it’s needed for guys like us just to fill that role a little bit.”

Pietrangelo’s absence isn’t the only change on the blue line.

The Knights traded Nic Hague, a 2017 second-round pick that was part of their championship team, to the Nashville Predators in June in exchange for center Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.

Bigger responsibility

Hague’s departure opens up opportunities for other players to expand their roles.

Defenseman Zach Whitecloud, who has spent most of his career on the third pair as Hague’s partner, will move up to play with Hanifin. Kaedan Korczak — who signed a four-year extension on July 2 — will get a chance to be part of the lineup full-time.

Pietrangelo told general manager Kelly McCrimmon he believes Korczak, 24, is ready for the challenge.

“You can see it in his game,” Pietrangelo said. “He’s an elite skater, he sees the game well. The more he plays, the more comfortable he’s going to feel. (Korczak) is a good kid. He’s willing to learn, he’s eager to learn. He works hard. I got nothing but good things to say about him.”

Whitecloud, like Theodore and Hanifin, will be asked to become more of a vocal leader with Pietrangelo no longer on the ice. The 28-year-old has always been able to find the right words even when things aren’t going well. He doesn’t plan to change anything even if his minutes increase.

“We have a lot of great leaders in the room, whether you’re 34, 35, 22 or 23. We have a lot of guys that lead in a lot of different ways,” Whitecloud said. “For myself, I’ve always been comfortable with who I am and what I do and the kind of personality I bring. That doesn’t change moving forward.”

Don’t forget about them

The Knights also still have defenseman Brayden McNabb, an unsung hero throughout his eight seasons with the organization.

The 34-year-old Original Misfit, who has appeared in 260 consecutive regular-season games, is as steady and reliable as they come. McNabb’s defensive smarts and tenacity allow his partner, Theodore, to shine offensively.

Veteran Ben Hutton should also get more chances to play after appearing in 11 games last year. The 32-year-old is looking forward to that, though he’ll have to fend off Lauzon, a physical wrecking ball.

“Last season, not as happy with as many games as I played,” Hutton said. “But I’m excited to battle for some more ice time.”

The Knights would love to have Pietrangelo back on the ice with them, but they know that’s not likely.

They have faith that the players they do have available can come together to pick up the slack.

“When you lose a piece like Petro, it’s very important to other guys: Don’t sit back and wait around,” Hanifin said. “You kind of have to step up and fill that gap as quick as possible.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.