Loading…
Loading…William Karlsson rates as a solid middle-of-the-lineup center: a 49.8 overall that ranks 82nd of 195 centers.
Penalty killing is where he wins, at 94, while finishing at 35 is the clear area to improve.
His rating fell from 71.5 in 2024-25 to 59 in 2025-26, one of the bigger drops in his 12-season card history.
The contract, $5.9M through 2026-27, grades Fair: the model's expected value of $5.75M is within $152K of what he is paid.
An extension worth $6.75M a year for 2 seasons (2027-28 to 2028-29) kicks in after that, which the model grades Overpaid.
His cap hit is the 9th-largest on the Vegas Golden Knights NHL roster and uses 5.7% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $430K in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 50 |
| Defense | 67 |
| Play driving | 51 |
| Finishing | 35 |
| Power play | 74 |
| Penalty kill | 94 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | VGK | 14 | 59 | 0.2 |
| 2024-25 | VGK | 53 | 71.5 | 0.4 |
| 2023-24 | VGK | 70 | 89.2 | 1.6 |
| 2022-23 | VGK | 82 | 76.2 | 0.5 |
| 2021-22 | VGK | 67 | 76 | 0.4 |
| 2020-21 | VGK | 56 | 80.2 | 0.6 |
| 2019-20 | VGK | 63 | 75.8 | 0.6 |
| 2018-19 | VGK | 82 | 79.8 | 0.9 |
| 2017-18 | VGK | 82 | 94.9 | 2.1 |
| 2016-17 | CBJ | 81 | 29.6 | -0.3 |
Other VGK centers by rating: Jack Eichel (93.5), Tomas Hertl (91.8), Tanner Laczynski (28.9), Nic Dowd (12.3). See the full Vegas Golden Knights cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.