The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Stanley Cup champion forward William Karlsson to a two-year contract extension.
Karlsson is in the final year of his current contract paying him $5.9 million this season. Vegas was known to be interested in extending him, and now they have.
Vegas Extends William Karlsson
The Golden Knights announced on Wednesday that they have inked Karlsson to a two-year contract extension paying him $6.75 million for the next two years.
” Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon announced today, September 30, that the team has signed forward William Karlsson to a two-year contract extension through the 2028-29 season worth an average annual value of $6.75 million,” the Golden Knights wrote in a statement posted on the team’s official website.
William Karlsson is an Underrated Talent
Karlsson was originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The 33-year-old Swede played most of his first NHL season for the Ducks before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he spent parts of three seasons.
During the NHL Expansion Draft in 2017, the Blue Jackets left Karlsson unprotected, meaning the Golden Knights were eligible to claim him for free, which is exactly what they did.
He then exploded in Vegas, scoring 43 goals and 78 points in 82 games in his first season with the Golden Knights, while helping lead the team to a surprising Stanley Cup Finals run.
Since then, Karlsson has been a stalwart of the Golden Knights, having spent the past decade with the team. In 2023, the Golden Knights won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history when they defeated the Florida Panthers in seven games. The team then went back to the finals this past season, though they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Overall, Karlsson has been a terrific player for Vegas, so this extension is well deserved, as it will keep him with the Golden Knights for the next three seasons. He has proven to be one of the greatest players in the franchise’s short history and will continue to add to his numbers over the next three seasons in Vegas after this extension.
Golden Knights Extend Stanley Cup Champion