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William Karlsson

#71 · Centre · Vegas Golden Knights

Born Jan 8, 1993 in Marsta, SWE (age 33) · 6'0", 190 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 53rd overall in 2011 by ANA (round 2)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2022-23
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Sportsmanship and Gentlemanly Conduct 2017-18

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2020-21. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Bo Horvat VAN · 39 P in 56 GP Andrew Copp WPG · 39 P in 55 GP Conor Garland ARI · 39 P in 49 GP Dominik Kubalik CHI · 38 P in 56 GP Joel Farabee PHI · 38 P in 55 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

02040602014-15: 5 points514-152015-16: 20 points2015-162016-17: 25 points2516-172017-18: 78 points7817-182018-19: 56 points5618-192019-20: 46 points4619-202020-21: 39 points3920-212021-22: 35 points3521-222022-23: 53 points5322-232023-24: 60 points6023-242024-25: 29 points2924-252025-26: 7 points725-262026-27: 1 points126-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2014-15 ANA 18 2 1 3 1 2 24 14 0.17 $831K
2014-15 CBJ 3 1 1 2 2 0 5 4 0.67
2015-16 CBJ 81 9 11 20 -9 6 108 40 0.25 $831K
2016-17 CBJ 81 6 19 25 10 10 96 35 0.31 $1M
2017-18 VGK 82 43 35 78 49 12 184 48 0.95 $1M
2018-19 VGK 82 24 32 56 1 16 169 51 0.68 $5.25M
2019-20 VGK 63 15 31 46 11 16 138 40 0.73 $5.9M
2020-21 VGK 56 14 25 39 19 4 111 29 0.70 $5.9M
2021-22 VGK 67 12 23 35 3 10 135 42 0.52 $5.9M
2022-23 VGK 82 14 39 53 14 10 161 50 0.65 $5.9M
2023-24 VGK 70 30 30 60 15 22 175 43 0.86 $5.9M
2024-25 VGK 53 9 20 29 17 4 119 20 0.55 $5.9M
2025-26 VGK 14 4 3 7 -1 4 30 3 0.50 $5.9M
2026-27 VGK 6 0 1 1 -2 0 10 0 0.17 $5.9M
13 seasons Career 758 183 271 454 130 116 1465 419 0.60

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2016-17 CBJ 5 2 1 3 4 0 12 4 0.60
2017-18 VGK 20 7 8 15 8 2 50 30 0.75
2018-19 VGK 7 2 3 5 1 2 17 9 0.71
2019-20 VGK 17 3 4 7 -1 0 45 24 0.41
2020-21 VGK 19 4 12 16 10 2 34 25 0.84
2022-23 VGK 22 11 6 17 11 2 45 15 0.77
2023-24 VGK 7 0 2 2 4 0 9 8 0.29
2024-25 VGK 11 3 3 6 5 0 17 2 0.55
2025-26 VGK 15 3 6 9 10 4 24 6 0.60
9 seasons Playoffs 123 35 45 80 52 12 253 123 0.65

2020-21 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
56 14 25 39 19 4 111 29 0.70 12.6 18:40

Contract

$5.9MCap hitends in 2027, then UFA
$151KCap dollars per point39 points in 56 games
$912KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.5 goals above replacement
$7.3MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$1.4MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 633 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Vegas Golden Knights on Jun 24, 2019, as an extension of the contract he was on: 8 years and $47.2M, beginning in 2019-20. It runs through 2026-27, with 6 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2019-20 $5.9M $3.9M $2M $5.9M
2020-21 $5.9M $5.9M $0 $5.9M M-NTC
2021-22 $5.9M $7.1M $0 $7.1M M-NTC
2022-23 $5.9M $5.9M $0 $5.9M M-NTC
2023-24 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC
2024-25 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC
2025-26 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC
2026-27 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Sep 30, 2026 Vegas Golden Knights Extension 2027-28 to 2028-29 2 $13.5M $6.75M
Jun 24, 2019 Vegas Golden Knights Extension 2019-20 to 2026-27 8 $47.2M $5.9M
Aug 4, 2018 Vegas Golden Knights New contract 2018-19 to 2018-19 1 $5.25M $5.25M
Jun 23, 2016 Columbus Blue Jackets Extension 2016-17 to 2017-18 2 $2M $1M
May 19, 2013 Anaheim Ducks Entry-level 2013-14 to 2015-16 3 $2.775M $831K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2020-21 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2020-21 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+3.0Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.5Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+2.0Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+1.7Even-strength defence+0.9Power play-0.7Penalty kill+0.1Penalties+0.0

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

051015202014-152016-172018-192020-212022-232024-252026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

55.9Corsi for %281 attempts for, 222 against
+1.8CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
58.2Expected goals for %11.5 expected for, 8.3 against
+4.9xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
69.2Goals for %18 for, 8 against
105.1PDO12.2% shooting + 92.9% saves
53Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 147 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Reilly Smith · William Karlsson · Jonathan Marchessault19218:0757.660.516-6
Mark Stone · William Karlsson · Jonathan Marchessault137:4046.243.81-0
Max Pacioretty · Reilly Smith · William Karlsson34:3660.089.10-0
William Karlsson · Mattias Janmark · Alex Tuch54:0650.044.90-0

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

4Goalsnot counting empty-netters
3.9Expected goalsfrom 45 unblocked attempts
+0.1Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.66 expected goals per 60 minutes28th
Shot quality 8.6% chance per attempt60th
Finishing +0.1 goals above expected58thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 78 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

01234Goals 4Expected 3.9

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
May 12, 2021 @ SJS W 6-0 0 1 1 1 0 5 0 18:39
May 10, 2021 vs COL L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 21:33
May 8, 2021 vs STL W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17:25
May 7, 2021 vs STL W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 0 2 1 2 20:14
May 5, 2021 @ MIN W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 18:34
May 3, 2021 @ MIN L 5-6 0 2 2 0 0 2 2 18:02
May 1, 2021 @ ARI W 3-2 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 22:14
Apr 30, 2021 @ ARI L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 16:29
Apr 28, 2021 vs COL W 5-2 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 18:53
Apr 24, 2021 @ ANA W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 1 20:41
Apr 21, 2021 vs SJS W 5-2 0 1 1 4 0 1 0 17:12
Apr 19, 2021 vs SJS W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 18:45
Apr 18, 2021 @ ANA W 5-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:45
Apr 16, 2021 @ ANA W 4-0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 20:01
Apr 14, 2021 @ LAK W 6-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 15:28
Apr 12, 2021 @ LAK W 4-2 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 15:51
Apr 11, 2021 vs ARI W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:44
Apr 9, 2021 vs ARI W 7-4 0 2 2 2 0 1 0 15:02
Apr 7, 2021 @ STL L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 1 2 18:15
Apr 5, 2021 @ STL W 6-1 0 1 1 2 0 3 1 16:47
Apr 3, 2021 vs MIN L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 21:49
Apr 1, 2021 vs MIN L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 24:01
Mar 31, 2021 vs LAK L 2-4 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 18:44
Mar 29, 2021 vs LAK W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 17:02
Mar 27, 2021 @ COL W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 22:10
Mar 25, 2021 @ COL L 1-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 16:05
Mar 22, 2021 vs STL W 5-1 1 2 3 0 0 4 0 20:29
Mar 21, 2021 @ LAK L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 19:28
Mar 19, 2021 @ LAK W 4-2 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 17:35
Mar 17, 2021 vs SJS W 5-4 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 21:52
Mar 15, 2021 vs SJS W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17:37
Mar 13, 2021 @ STL W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 19:15
Mar 12, 2021 @ STL W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 21:15
Mar 10, 2021 @ MIN L 3-4 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 18:48
Mar 8, 2021 @ MIN L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 17:59
Mar 6, 2021 @ SJS W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 16:31
Mar 5, 2021 @ SJS W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 18:03
Mar 3, 2021 vs MIN W 5-1 1 1 2 2 0 2 1 18:30
Mar 1, 2021 vs MIN W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 18:56
Feb 27, 2021 @ ANA W 3-2 (OT) 2 0 2 2 0 3 1 18:48
Feb 22, 2021 @ COL W 3-0 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 18:09
Feb 20, 2021 @ COL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20:29
Feb 16, 2021 vs COL L 2-3 0 2 2 -1 0 2 0 17:30
Feb 14, 2021 vs COL W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18:21
Feb 13, 2021 @ SJS W 3-1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 18:01
Feb 11, 2021 vs ANA L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 19:01
Feb 9, 2021 vs ANA W 5-4 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 18:00
Feb 7, 2021 vs LAK W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17:06
Feb 5, 2021 vs LAK W 5-2 1 2 3 2 0 4 2 16:23
Jan 26, 2021 vs STL L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 21:35
Jan 24, 2021 @ ARI W 1-0 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 19:12
Jan 22, 2021 @ ARI L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 16:35
Jan 20, 2021 vs ARI W 5-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 18:43
Jan 18, 2021 vs ARI W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 20:54
Jan 16, 2021 vs ANA W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 5 0 18:26
Jan 14, 2021 vs ANA W 5-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 18:30