Golden Knights Sign William Karlsson To Two-Year Extension

The Golden Knights’ hockey operations department, led by former GM George McPhee, saw something in Karlsson and made him their choice at the expansion draft from Columbus.

They believed that with the increased opportunity offered by an expansion team, Karlsson could reach a new level of productivity and on-ice value.

That’s exactly what he did, stunning most observers by instantly becoming Vegas’ go-to No. 1 center.

In his first year in Vegas, Karlsson smashed his previous career highs, scoring 43 goals and 78 points, winning the Lady Byng Trophy in the process. He also finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting and 10th in Hart Trophy voting. One voter even filed a first-place vote for Karlsson. Still, there were some signs under the hood that Karlsson would not be able to repeat that kind of output, namely his 23.4% shooting percentage.

But while Karlsson has not been able to match his debut season in a Golden Knights sweater, he settled into a steady role as a consistent two-way force that anchored the team’s forward corps down the middle. Since 2018-19, Karlsson has scored 122 goals and 325 points in 488 games, which is a 21-goal, 55-point 82-game scoring pace. He’s regularly appeared on Lady Byng ballots and has twice more appeared in Selke Trophy voting.

Although Vegas has acquired two centers with more extensive offensive credentials than Karlsson (Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl), Karlsson still plays a key defensive role and is a regular penalty killer. Over the last three years, he’s struggled with injuries, and was limited to just 14 regular-season games in 2025-26.

But when the games have counted most, Karlsson has found a way to show up. He scored nine points in 15 playoff games on Vegas’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, putting his injury woes behind him. And in 2022-23, Karlsson scored 11 goals and 17 points in 22 games, helping lead the team to a Stanley Cup championship.

With this two-year extension in hand, Karlsson has the chance to further entrench his name in Golden Knights history. He is one of just two players in franchise history to cross the 40-goal plateau, alongside fellow original expansion draft selection Jonathan Marchessault. Karlsson currently has the second-most goals and points in franchise history, and is behind Marchessault on both counts.

If he can stay healthy, Karlsson should be able to pass Marchessault as the franchise’s all-time goals leader relatively soon, perhaps even this season if he can score as many goals as he did in 2023-24, his last relatively healthy season. In terms of points, Karlsson is just 14 behind Marchessault, meaning he is almost certain to become Vegas’ scoring leader at some point this year.

While this deal only carries a two-year term, it’s difficult to imagine Karlsson suiting up for another franchise. He’s a beloved “original misfit,” and represents the basis of the Golden Knights’ remarkable track record of success: their ability to identify undervalued players on other clubs and power them to new heights once they arrive in Vegas.

The Golden Knights have been criticized by some for their ruthlessness – they have moved on from many beloved coaches and players in the past – but their results on the ice in many ways justify their methods. With that said, if there is any player the Golden Knights organization feels some real loyalty to, it’d be Karlsson.