Shea Theodore excited to be back with Golden Knights

Shea Theodore hasn’t decided what his first big purchase will be now that his bank account is considerably larger.

But he did buy a new bed.

“Hopefully, it’s here for tonight,” the Golden Knights defenseman said Thursday at City National Arena.

Theodore, who missed the first 12 days of training camp, finally can move back into his room at teammate Alex Tuch’s house now that his contract impasse has been resolved.

He practiced with the Knights on Thursday for the first time since signing a seven-year, $36.4 million contract that makes him the club’s highest-paid defenseman.

Theodore is expected to be in the lineup when the Knights host Los Angeles in a preseason game at 7 p.m. Friday at T-Mobile Arena.

“It worked out well for both parties,” Theodore said while dodging a tape ball thrown at him by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. “It’s a process, definitely. It was different, seeing the business side of it. It’s my first time going through that. But I’m excited to be back.”

The 23-year-old Theodore was a restricted free agent with no arbitration rights and began discussing a deal at the NHL draft in June, according to Craig Oster, Theodore’s agent.

Oster said the fact Theodore hadn’t played a full NHL season complicated the negotiations.

“The level of performance Shea has demonstrated is very high,” Oster said, “yet the level of experience isn’t nearly as high as the performance.”

Theodore had six goals and 29 points in 61 games after starting the season in the American Hockey League. He was second on the Knights in average ice time per game (20:21) and ran the No. 1 power play unit.

Theodore has logged 114 career NHL appearances, far fewer than other comparable restricted free agents. For example, Brady Skjei of the New York Rangers had 169 career games when he signed a six-year, $31.5 million contract in July.

“We were pretty confident, based on the way he played last year and what he did at his age … about what we’re going to have now, and in the future,” Knights general manager George McPhee said Monday.

Oster said both sides began with a long-term deal in mind but were far apart on Theodore’s salary. At that point, Oster said, he began advocating for a short-term contract.

“The place we ended is very different than where we started,” Oster said. “Ultimately, at the end both sides compromised to some degree. Everyone recognized the importance of getting Shea back, and that’s why negotiations escalated over the three or four days before.”

Theodore’s seven-year deal is the longest among Golden Knights players and gives the team “cost certainty” for the future, according to McPhee.

The Knights are banking that Theodore develops into a top-pair defenseman and outperforms his $5.2 million average annual salary in the latter half of the contract.

Theodore had a salary cap hit of $863,333 last season in the final year of his entry-level deal.

“He’s so talented offensively,” defenseman Deryk Engelland said. “He quarterbacks that power play unit, and he’s great defensively. He adds a lot to our team, and we’re all just happy to have him back here.”

Theodore said he worked this summer on his skating and edge work, and the Aldergrove, British Columbia, native practiced with the University of British Columbia hockey team to stay in shape.

He was back alongside Engelland at Thursday’s practice.

“Nothing’s changed from last year, so he’ll play with his partner that he played with last year — probably Engelland — and he’ll be up to speed,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He might be a little rusty, game shape, but that’s why we’re going to get him in a couple games and he’ll be ready for next week.”

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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.