Right now, the Vegas Golden Knights could use a witch doctor. They need someone to heal the team’s agonizing pain from all the injuries they’ve sustained. That includes Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore, two key pieces to the Golden Knights’ puzzle.

For further context, Eichel leads the Golden Knights with 41 points (12 goals and 29 assists), while Theodore has 20 points (four goals and 16 assists). That’s a lot of points to be missing on the top unit, whether it’s on the first line or the top defensive pair.

To add to that pain, Travis Yost had a more in-depth look at how the top-performing forward did with his top defenseman. Let’s just say that the overall value of the duo can’t be understated.

Each NHL team’s most regular forward/defenceman combination and how they’re performing at EV this season. pic.twitter.com/SVt5INdOZZ

— Travis Yost (@travisyost) December 24, 2025

The pair of Eichel and Theodore had the sixth-best Net Goals per 60 in the NHL, ahead of prominent names like Jason Robertson/Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars) and Sidney Crosby/Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh Penguins). While the Golden Knights have performed better than expected with the duo’s absence, Vegas still misses something without their presence.

What the Vegas Golden Knights miss without Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore being around

First, let’s look at the power play, which was sixth-best in the NHL heading into the Christmas break (25.9%). Eichel and Theodore combined for 19 power play assists this season, setting up juicy scoring opportunities for the big guns. Without Eichel and Theodore, how would Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev eat?

Although Hertl and Dorofeyev haven’t lost a step in the aforementioned pair’s absence (three combined goals and three combined assists on the power play in the last four games), it’s worth having the two best players around for setting up plays. Both have a keen eye for dangerous scoring opportunities, whether it’s eyeing the slot or setting up a rebound.

But it stems beyond that. Theodore has improved his two-way game with better stay-at-home defense. He’s not afraid to backcheck anymore, deterring oncoming attacks before they get out of hand. Eichel does the same thing already with his two-way game, making him an all-around threat.

Obviously, you have your intangibles, such as leadership and instilling fear into your opponent’s hearts. But it can’t be understated how crucial the pair’s value is defensively, given that Vegas had to adjust without Alex Pietrangelo. Not having the offensive juice is still as big a side effect as losing two solid back-end players, too.

Golden Knights fans are hoping and praying that Eichel and Theodore heal up fast

While things are expected to lighten up in the upcoming months for the Golden Knights, that doesn’t mean that things will get easier. The dreaded month of January looms large, with Vegas being historically awful during the first month of the year.

Usually, this is a period where the guys are banged up and Vegas must dig into its depth. The problem? There isn’t much to dig into, whether it’s press box guys or the Henderson Silver Knights. That’s not winning you a Stanley Cup any time soon.

That’s why the Golden Knights need Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore back in the mix. They need their top players in the fold to alleviate the damage. The hockey gods might be smirking sarcastically at Vegas, though. They might have an offer that won’t completely satisfy the Golden Knights.

“Best I can do is Jack Eichel possibly returning in the next week or two.”

Brace yourselves, Las Vegas. It could be the longest month ever.