Home / News / Vegas Golden Knights sign William Karlsson to eight-year, $47.2 million contract extension

Vegas Golden Knights sign William Karlsson to eight-year, $47.2 million contract extension

By Ian Oland

 0 Comment

June 25, 2019 12:54 am

Wild Bill is staying Sin City until his mid-30s.

Late Monday night, the Vegas Golden Knights announced that they signed William Karlsson to an eight-year contract extension worth an average annual salary of $5.9 million. The 26-year-old forward is two seasons removed from scoring a career-high 43 goals after being selected by George McPhee in the expansion draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Karlsson followed up his high-water mark with 24 goals in 2018-19.

Video

“Hey guys, just want to let you know I’m very excited to be here for eight more years,” Karlsson said in a video posted by the Golden Knights. “Incredible feeling. So let’s do it.”

Since leaving the Columbus, Karlsson has blossomed into a top-line player, owning over 53 percent of the shot attempts at five-on-five during his two seasons in Las Vegas. 41 of Karlsson’s 67 goals with the Golden Knights have come at five-on-five.

But Karlsson’s annual average salary ($5.9 million) reflects McPhee’s belief that Karlsson is closer in talent to TJ Oshie ($5.75M AAV) than one of the top goalscorers in the league. Karlsson’s drop in goals from 43 in 2017-18 to 24 in 2018-19 could be explained almost entirely by shooting percentages. With virtually the same amount of shots on goal (184-169), Karlsson saw his career-high shooting percentage of 23.4 in 2017-18 fall in line with his career average (14%) the next year.

With his flowing blonde locks and electrifying play, Karlsson has become one of the Golden Knights’ most popular players.

He’s also been one of the team’s most consistent forwards. Karlsson is the only player in franchise history to have appeared in every regular season game and postseason contest, a total of 191 games. He also has 20 points in 27 career Golden Knights playoff games.

More from the Golden Knights:

VEGAS (June 24, 2019) – Vegas Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee announced today, June 24, that the team has signed forward William Karlsson to an eight-year contract through the 2026-27 season worth an average annual value of $5.9 million.

Karlsson, 26, finished his second season with the Golden Knights with 56 points (24 G, 32 A) to go with 16 penalty minutes. He finished with 13 multi-point games, including three games where he recorded three points.

The Marsta, Sweden native recorded his 150th career point on December 6 and now has 184 career points (85 G, 99 A) through five seasons in the NHL. Karlsson is the only player in franchise history to have appeared in every regular season game and postseason contest, a total of 191 games. He was originally acquired by the Golden Knights during the 2017 Expansion Draft.

Headline photo: @GoldenKnights