William Karlsson isn’t going anywhere, as the Golden Knights have signed one of their last Original Misfits to a two-year extension worth $6.75 million annually.
One of the Original Misfits is sticking around.
William Karlsson has been a fixture throughout all 10 years of Vegas Golden Knights hockey, from the franchise’s unforgettable expansion-draft beginnings to a Stanley Cup championship and everything that followed. On Wednesday, the Golden Knights made sure that chapter will continue.
Vegas signed Karlsson to a two-year contract extension worth $6.75 million annually, keeping the veteran center under contract through the 2028-29 season.
Karlsson, 33, was entering the final season of the eight-year, $47.2 million contract he signed with the Golden Knights in 2019. Instead of allowing one of the most recognizable players from the franchise’s inaugural roster to hit free agency, Vegas opted to keep him around for two more seasons.
The extension also takes care of one of the most important pieces of business remaining on the Golden Knights’ offseason agenda.
Vegas extended captain Mark Stone to a two-year deal on Sept. 12, and Karlsson was among the team’s most notable remaining contract situations. The Golden Knights now have four pending unrestricted free agents: forwards Victor Olofsson and Nic Dowd, defenseman Parker Wotherspoon and goaltender Carter Hart.
Few players are more closely tied to the Golden Knights’ history than Karlsson.
Selected from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2017 expansion draft, Karlsson quickly became one of the faces of a franchise that shocked the hockey world during its inaugural season. He has remained a key part of Vegas ever since, helping the Golden Knights go from an expansion team to Stanley Cup champions in just six seasons.
Karlsson has appeared in 570 regular-season games with Vegas, scoring 191 goals and 238 assists for 429 points.
Now, with a new contract in place and a surgically repaired wrist, Karlsson gets two more seasons to add to a Vegas legacy that began on Day 1.
