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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 2016-17. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Lars Eller WSH · 25 P in 81 GP Dominic Moore BOS · 25 P in 82 GP Jordan Martinook ARI · 25 P in 77 GP Micheal Ferland CGY · 25 P in 76 GP Brian Boyle TOR · 25 P in 75 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 5 0 1 1 -2 0 7 0 0.20 $5.9M
13 seasons Career 757 183 271 454 130 116 1462 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

2016-17 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
81 6 19 25 10 10 96 35 0.31 6.3 13:23

Contract

$1MCap hitends in 2018
$40KCap dollars per point25 points in 81 games
$608KCap dollars per goal above replacement1.6 goals above replacement
$1.6MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$623KValueworth 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 664 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jun 23, 2016, as an extension of the contract he was on: 2 years and $2M, beginning in 2016-17. It runs through 2017-18, with 1 season left after this one.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2016-17 $1M $1M $0 $1M
2017-18 $1M $1M $0 $1M

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 2016-17 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.

2016-17 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+1.6Goals above replacement390th of 664 skaters, 272nd of 435 forwards
+0.3Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-1.4Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 435 ranked forwards: 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.

Even-strength offence-0.6 46th percentileEven-strength defence-1.1 24th percentilePower play+0.1 70th percentilePenalty kill-0.7 4th percentilePenalties+0.9 72nd percentile

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, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. 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

47.8Corsi for %782 attempts for, 854 against
-3.3CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.6Expected goals for %36.9 expected for, 39.1 against
-2.6xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
47.4Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
56.1Goals for %37 for, 29 against
102.0PDO8.1% shooting + 93.9% saves
156Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 565 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
Matt Calvert · William Karlsson · Josh Anderson58383:2245.144.513-11
Scott Hartnell · William Karlsson · Josh Anderson32132:5749.653.67-6
Boone Jenner · William Karlsson · Josh Anderson2638:4840.932.41-2
Cam Atkinson · Boone Jenner · William Karlsson1628:5048.363.11-1

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.

6Goalsnot counting empty-netters
10.6Expected goalsfrom 128 unblocked attempts
-4.6Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.59 expected goals per 60 minutes26th
Shot quality 8.3% chance per attempt72nd
Finishing -4.6 goals above expected11thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 421 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0510Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Expected 10.6Goals 6

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 this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 9, 2017 @ TOR W 3-2 0 1 1 2 4 3 1 13:19
Apr 8, 2017 @ PHI L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 09:40
Apr 6, 2017 vs WPG L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 09:21
Apr 4, 2017 @ PIT L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 14:41
Apr 2, 2017 vs WSH L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 11:36
Mar 31, 2017 @ CHI L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:30
Mar 30, 2017 @ CAR L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 14:14
Mar 28, 2017 vs BUF W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11:16
Mar 25, 2017 vs PHI W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 16:33
Mar 23, 2017 @ WSH L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11:23
Mar 22, 2017 vs TOR L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 11:35
Mar 19, 2017 @ NJD W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 14:52
Mar 18, 2017 @ NYI W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13:09
Mar 16, 2017 vs FLA W 2-1 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 11:18
Mar 13, 2017 @ PHI W 5-3 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 13:26
Mar 11, 2017 @ BUF L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:50
Mar 10, 2017 vs BUF W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 08:02
Mar 7, 2017 vs NJD W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 09:57
Mar 5, 2017 @ NJD W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 10:24
Mar 4, 2017 @ OTT L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 11:37
Mar 2, 2017 vs MIN W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:17
Feb 26, 2017 @ NYR W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 12:45
Feb 25, 2017 vs NYI W 7-0 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 11:40
Feb 19, 2017 vs NSH L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 10:35
Feb 17, 2017 vs PIT W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 17:07
Feb 15, 2017 vs TOR W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 15:13
Feb 13, 2017 vs NYR L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 11:37
Feb 11, 2017 vs DET W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13:46
Feb 9, 2017 vs VAN L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 13:02
Feb 7, 2017 @ DET W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13:54
Feb 4, 2017 vs NJD L 1-5 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 14:09
Feb 3, 2017 @ PIT L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 11:28
Jan 31, 2017 @ NYR W 6-4 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 13:29
Jan 26, 2017 @ NSH L 3-4 0 1 1 -1 0 2 0 13:18
Jan 24, 2017 @ NYI L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 13:45
Jan 22, 2017 @ OTT W 7-6 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 13:15
Jan 21, 2017 vs CAR W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 14:37
Jan 19, 2017 vs OTT L 0-2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 07:43
Jan 17, 2017 vs CAR W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:26
Jan 14, 2017 @ FLA L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 15:34
Jan 13, 2017 @ TBL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 15:24
Jan 10, 2017 @ CAR L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 13:05
Jan 8, 2017 vs PHI W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 14:33
Jan 7, 2017 vs NYR L 4-5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 14:34
Jan 5, 2017 @ WSH L 0-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 12:59
Jan 3, 2017 vs EDM W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 11:16
Dec 31, 2016 @ MIN W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 14:13
Dec 29, 2016 @ WPG W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 11:49
Dec 27, 2016 vs BOS W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:54
Dec 23, 2016 vs MTL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:03
Dec 22, 2016 vs PIT W 7-1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 14:39
Dec 20, 2016 vs LAK W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13:32
Dec 18, 2016 @ VAN W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 14:40
Dec 16, 2016 @ CGY W 4-1 0 1 1 2 0 4 0 16:04
Dec 13, 2016 @ EDM W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 11:50
Dec 10, 2016 vs NYI W 6-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 14:43
Dec 9, 2016 @ DET W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 13:52
Dec 5, 2016 vs ARI W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 15:20
Dec 3, 2016 @ ARI W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 11:51
Dec 1, 2016 @ COL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:53
Nov 29, 2016 vs TBL W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 14:49
Nov 26, 2016 @ FLA L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13:18
Nov 25, 2016 @ TBL W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 11:23
Nov 23, 2016 vs CGY L 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15:00
Nov 21, 2016 vs COL L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10:47
Nov 20, 2016 @ WSH W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16:42
Nov 18, 2016 vs NYR W 4-2 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 14:34
Nov 15, 2016 vs WSH W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 13:43
Nov 12, 2016 vs STL W 8-4 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 15:07
Nov 10, 2016 @ BOS L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 12:40
Nov 9, 2016 vs ANA W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 19:17
Nov 5, 2016 @ STL L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16:28
Nov 4, 2016 vs MTL W 10-0 0 2 2 3 0 3 0 14:10
Nov 1, 2016 vs DAL W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 2 3 1 15:06
Oct 28, 2016 @ ANA W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:39
Oct 27, 2016 @ SJS L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 12:30
Oct 25, 2016 @ LAK L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15:26
Oct 22, 2016 @ DAL W 3-0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 16:22
Oct 21, 2016 vs CHI W 3-2 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 14:59
Oct 15, 2016 vs SJS L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 11:53
Oct 13, 2016 vs BOS L 3-6 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 11:53