Golden Knights sign Lukas Cormier to one-year contract

Cormier was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his three-year, entry-level contract with a $793,333 cap hit. The only information disclosed about Cormier’s contract thus far is the one-year term, as the salary, the inclusion of any bonuses, and whether it’s a one or two-way contract are unknown. However, given Cormier’s limited NHL experience, it’s likely to be a two-way contract at a low salary.

Cormier missed a significant portion of the 2024-25 season due to an offseason injury that kept him out of training camp, and he did not return until March. When he did, he played in 19 games in the AHL with the Golden Knights’ minor-league affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, where he had nine assists.

Cormier has only played in two NHL games thus far in his career, both coming in the 2023-24 season with Vegas in January. He even managed to get an assist in his NHL debut, doing so on the Golden Knights’ fourth goal in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders.

Cormier was a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft with the Golden Knights, playing with the Charlottetown Islanders in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He played two more seasons in Charlottetown before he made his professional debut in the 2022-23 season, only needing one season before making his NHL debut. He’s one of 15 players drafted in the 2020 third round to play in the NHL.

Now two years removed from their 2023 Stanley Cup championship, the Golden Knights have had a busy offseason reshaping the team in the wake of first and second-round exits in the playoffs. On top of their big splash of the offseason in bringing in Mitch Marner, they’ve also acquired Jeremy Lauzon and Colton Sissons from the Nashville Predators, and will also be without Alex Pietrangelo for the season. They currently have two more RFAs left to re-sign, most notably winger Alex Holtz, and while they’re more than $7.5 million over the salary cap, that’s before Pietrangelo’s $8.8 million cap hit has been placed on long-term injured reserve.