The defenseman sustained an upper-body injury in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round against the Utah Mammoth on May 1 and has been out since. Lauzon will be relied upon to use his size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) to offset Carolina’s hard forecheck and grinding cycle game. He finished 10th in the NHL in the regular season with 251 hits.
“Good solid positional defenseman,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “Has some bite to him. He was missed.
“He’s one of those players that at the end of the night, you don’t really see him that much, because of just the way he plays. There’s no flair to it. He’s just good positionally, and he does his job each and every shift. He anchors his position. The toughest position to play is defense. I just think he’s very cerebral about it, and I just like his game.”
Lauzon had 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 68 regular-season games with Vegas, his first season with the team. He was acquired on June 30, 2025, along with forward Colton Sissons from the Nashville Predators for defenseman Nicolas Hagueand a conditional third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Lauzon admitted it was difficult sitting out during the Golden Knights’ run to the Cup Final.
“It’s probably the most anxious I’ve been watching games, that’s for sure,” he said. “But I never had a doubt that the guys would pull through.”
Lauzon is expected to be paired with Dylan Coghlan, who’s been a revelation on the blue line, with three points (one goal, two assists) and a plus-8 rating in eight postseason games after not having a point and playing just three regular-season games.
Kaedan Korczak is expected to be a healthy scratch.
“The second he got the opportunity to play, he’s been playing amazing hockey,” Lauzon said of Coghlan . “He’s a great puck mover, a great skater and loves to jump in offensively.
“I think it fits in perfectly with my style of play. I think I’m going to create some space for him defensively, closing hard. So yeah, I’m excited to have the opportunity to get it going with him.”
Coghlan feels the same way.
“He’s absolutely a big presence,” Coghlan said. “He takes up a lot of space on the ice. He’ll be able to free me up a bit offensively. I’ve actually never played with him, so it will be cool to experience that.”
