Golden Knights sign William Karlsson to two-year extension

The deal will kick in following the completion of his current eight-year, $47.2 million contract, which is set to expire after this season.

Karlsson, 33, played about 17 and half minutes centering Vegas’ second line in Tuesday’s season opener, a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Last season, a lower-body injury kept Karlsson out for the majority of the regular season. In the 14 games he did play, he had four goals and three assists for seven points. He then had three goals and six assists for nine points in 15 playoff games before missing Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final with an injury.

The Swedish national was initially selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. After playing just 18 games for the Ducks in the 2014-15 season, he was dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets at that year’s trade deadline. In Columbus, he had two middling 81-game seasons, putting up 20 and 25 points, respectively.

The Blue Jackets elected to expose Karlsson in the 2017 NHL expansion draft, in which he was taken by the Golden Knights. In the 2017-18 season, his first in Vegas, he exploded with 43 goals and 35 assists for a career-best 78 points in all 82 regular season games, before contributing seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 20 playoff games during the Golden Knights’ cinderalla run to the Stanley Cup final.

Karlsson has been with Vegas ever since, including having 11 goals and six assists for 17 points in 22 playoff games during the team’s 2023 Stanley Cup championship run. He ranks second in Golden Knights’ franchise history with 403 points.