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Golden Knights Coach Bruce Cassidy Drops Major Update on Karlsson's Status

Originally posted on Hockey Unplugged | By Tom Banks | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 4:14 PM ET

William Karlsson has been out for the Golden Knights since mid-January, and now, it appears he's closing in on a major return.

The Vegas Golden Knights are a team that go underestimated every single year, but once again, with a month left to go until the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they find themselves at the top of the Pacific Division.

They've done that without William Karlsson in the lineup for much of 2025, as his last game came back on January 20th, as he was officially sidelined with a lower body injury that had hampered his contribution to the team for quite some time beforehand.

Now, in a very positive update, Head Coach Bruce Cassidy has confirmed that Karlsson is a game-time decision on Thursday, and while he may not return, that signals that he's drawing ever closer to a return.

Due to his struggles this season, Karlsson has just 7 goals and 18 points in 38 games played, but given how important he's been to this team since arriving in Vegas, his return will be crucial, with fans eager to see him back on the ice as well.

At 32-years of age, Karlsson still has plenty of years ahead of him in the NHL, and given how well he's played since being drafted by Vegas in the expansion draft, as well as being locked in for another two years, he'll go down as an all-time Vegas Golden Knights great.

Success in the Stanley Cup beyond 2023 will go a long way to solidifying that, so while we don't know exactly when Karlsson will return, this is a team with lofty goals in 2025, and if he can get back to 100% before the end of the regular season, it makes them that much more dangerous in their quest for another Cup.

This article first appeared on Hockey Unplugged and was syndicated with permission.

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