Golden Knights hit with brutal William Karlsson update

The Vegas Golden Knights announced that center William Karlsson is out on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury on Thursday.

It is a blow for the Golden Knights, as Karlsson is a key member of their forward group. He had scored seven goals with 11 assists for 18 points in 38 games so far this season, according to NHL.com. Karlsson put up 60 points in 2023-24, which was the second most in his career, behind only the 2017-18 season, when he put up 78 in the inaugural season for the Golden Knights.

Karlsson is mainly a depth center for the Golden Knights, so it will be interesting to see how they combat that loss. On paper, it should be Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Nicolas Roy and Tanner Laczynski taking up the four center spots.

As for the financial aspect of the injury, if it is something that will keep Karlsson out long-term, it could come into play for the trade deadline. He is in the sixth year of an eight-year, $47.2 million contract that comes out to $5.9 million a year. The Golden Knights could potentially put Karlsson on long-term injured reserve to open up cap space for a deadline addition. Vegas, along with other teams, have been known to make that type of move to strengthen their lineups for postseason runs.

As it currently stands, the Golden Knights are in solid position at 29-14-4 overall. They are atop the Pacific Division, but just one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. It should be a tight race down the stretch between the two teams down the stretch.

Vegas has been in a bit of a slide as of late, losing six out of the last seven games, including four in a row. Head coach Bruce Cassidy did not hold back when discussing the Golden Knights’ struggles, specifically as it relates to the goaltending. The latest loss came in a shootout to the St. Louis Blues, so the Golden Knights at least picked up a point in that contest, but they will look to rebound in a rematch on the road against St. Louis on Thursday.