Lukas Cormier is a diamond in the rough for the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights don't have the best farm system in the NHL. Instead, they've traded away their picks for the best players, including Tomas Hertl and Ivan Barbashev.
Yet, Cormier's still there. He's like an innocent bystander lost amid the numerous trades and wheelin' and dealin' done by Kelly McCrimmon. That's not a bad thing, though. You need somebody to hold down the fort once players like Brayden McNabb are gone.
The same can be said for players like Mark Stone. Who will replace them once they're no longer on the team? That's why you have guys like Trevor Connelly and Mathieu Cataford. These young guns can fill the void and take the pressure off McCrimmon.
Believe it or not, that will apply to the young defenseman soon enough. How, you ask? Well, he can elevate his game with the Henderson Silver Knights.
Let's look at what the 23-year-old can do for the Silver Knights this season. What should fans watch out for? What can he do to get himself ready for the Golden Knights in the future?
What can Lukas Cormier do to bolster his profile for the Golden Knights?
One thing that stands out with Cormier is his size. Standing at 5'10", he's not the biggest guy on the ice, which limits what he can do on the ice. On top of that, he weighs 190 lbs., complicating things further.
As mentioned before, you must find a niche to keep yourself on the ice. That's the same problem Jonathan Marchessault had during his Golden Knights tenure. As he aged and his skills deteriorated, the Misfit needed to make a shift.
Lo and behold, he scored 42 goals in his last season as a Golden Knight. The former Conn Smythe winner became a prominent sniper before getting a nice deal with the Nashville Predators.
Believe it or not, Cormier has done something similar. In his last campaign of 50+ games, the defenseman had 16 assists in 58 games with Henderson. The season prior? He scored 10 goals and 25 assists in 62 games.
Adapting isn't the only thing Cormier must do
Obviously, getting strong is a must if he wants a roster spot. Weighing 190 lbs. will get you pushed around like a car in a Las Vegas monsoon. That's something that nobody wants to see and won't fetch you a roster spot.
That also means learning how to be hands-on in the defensive end. While life as an offensive-minded defenseman has longer mileage, that's mainly true for larger guys. Cormier doesn't have that advantage, meaning he must use his excellent skating ability and awareness to compete with the NHL's biggest superstars.
Luckily, another season with the Silver Knights will remedy that. Being 23 years old will (say it with me, class!) provide him with ample opportunities to become an NHL regular. It could even propel him to an NHL roster spot next season, where he could become a Golden Knights mainstay.