Vegas Golden Knights Suddenly Dump 24-Year-Old Defenseman

The Vegas Golden Knights placed 24-year-old defenseman Lukas Cormier on waivers Wednesday as part of a series of roster moves, via PuckPedia.

Cormier, who began the 2026-27 season on the injured non-roster list following an undisclosed offseason procedure, is expected to clear and report to the American Hockey League’s Henderson Silver Knights if unclaimed.

The move comes as Vegas manages its blue line. The Golden Knights also recalled forward Alexander Holtz from Henderson and placed defenseman Parker Wotherspoon on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

Wotherspoon has been sidelined since mid-October and is considered week-to-week. These transactions leave the Knights with limited defensive depth for their upcoming game against the St. Louis Blues.

Cormier signed a one-year, two-way contract with Vegas in early July worth $850,000 at the NHL level.

The deal followed a strong 2025-26 AHL campaign in which he recorded eight goals and 39 assists for 47 points in 49 games with Henderson, along with a plus-2 rating.

He led the Silver Knights’ defensemen in scoring and paced the team with 23 power-play points. Despite the offensive production, he has yet to establish a consistent NHL role.

A third-round pick (68th overall) by the Golden Knights in the 2020 NHL Draft, Cormier has appeared in just two NHL games, both during the 2023-24 season.

He recorded his lone NHL point—an assist—in his debut against the New York Islanders. Injuries have slowed his development at times, including a long-term issue that limited him to 19 games in the 2024-25 AHL season before he rebounded last year.

The native of Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 184 pounds.

He shoots left and developed a reputation as an offensive-minded defenseman during his junior career with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders, where he twice won the Emile Bouchard Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.

Vegas retained his rights this summer rather than allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency, but increased competition on the blue line and his waiver status have kept him outside the NHL roster.

At 8-3-0 and first in the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights continue to navigate early-season injuries.

If Cormier clears waivers, he will begin his 2026-27 campaign in Henderson, where he remains one of the organization’s more productive minor-league options.

His path to regular NHL minutes will likely depend on further injuries or roster changes higher up the depth chart.