Report: Is William Karlsson Going to Get Paid?


The Las Vegas Golden Knights have been in negotiation with center William Karlsson, working towards a new contract for the restricted free agent. However, both sides are still yet to come to terms for a deal. Karlsson is set to go to arbitration on August 4th but is looking to get a large contract before the hearing.

The Swedish born center had a huge year with the expansion Golden Knights, scoring 43 goals and 35 assists.  He finished the season third in goals scored, just one marker behind Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets. Karlsson also scored seven goals and eight assists in the playoffs for Vegas.

These numbers in almost any other situation would usually call for a new long-term contract with a high AAV. However, Karlsson only showed these elite numbers last season, and there is very little evidence that shows that he could have another season like what he had in 2017-2018. The 2016-2017 season saw the center bank a mere six goals before Vegas selected him in the expansion draft last summer.

Karlsson Scores Between-The-Legs Against Jones

The hesitation that Vegas has shown by not signing Karlsson could mean a couple of things. The Golden Knights could be looking to sign the center to a bridge deal before agreeing to a long-term contract, giving him the opportunity to prove that he can repeat as an elite forward. The Knights could also be trying to lock up the 25-year-old for seven or eight years but are having problems finding a fair price.

According to CapFriendly.com the Vegas Golden Knights currently have 13.1 million dollars in cap space remaining.