Golden Knights’ William Karlsson expected to make season debut against Sharks on Oct. 26

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy announced Thursday that forward William Karlsson is expected to make his season debut on Saturday, Oct. 26 against the San Jose Sharks.

Karlsson suffered an injury during training camp, the type of injury or the severity of it has remained undisclosed to the public as of this time.

Karlsson notched 30 goals and 30 assists for 60 points in 70 games during the 2023-24 campaign. That was the first season Karlsson reached the 30-goal plateau since the 2017-18 campaign when he notched a career-high 43 goals. He added two assists in seven Stanley Cup Playoff contests as the Golden Knights were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Stars.

The Märsta, Sweden native is currently in the sixth season of an eight-year contract with a $5.9 million AAV which he signed with the Golden Knights in the summer of 2019.

Karlsson was originally a second-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season before being dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline that year as part of the return for James Wisniewski. He then spent parts of three seasons in Columbus before he was selected by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft.

Karlsson has tallied 417 points in 685 games over parts of 11 seasons with the Ducks, Blue Jackets and Golden Knights. He captured the Stanley Cup in 2023 with Vegas and the Lady Byng Trophy in 2018.

Vegas currently has a 4-2-1 record and sits second in the Pacific Division with nine points through seven games.