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Vegas Golden Knights: William Karlsson Getting Bigger Opportunities

By Richard Cardinale

LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 10: William Karlsson #71 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena on October 10, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights won 5-2. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 10: William Karlsson #71 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena on October 10, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights won 5-2. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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William Karlsson is proving everyone wrong, and the Vegas Golden Knights are benefitting because of it.

You know what makes this Vegas Golden Knights team unique? A new hero arises after every win. Think about all the players that have stepped on this roster.

James Neal is still showing to the world why he’s the “Real Deal.” Nate Schmidt has also been one of those players that shows up and gives 100% on a nightly basis. Hell, even Oscar Dansk had stolen the show on multiple occasions. Who would’ve ever thought of that one before the season started!?

My point is each player on this roster hs the chance to be the number one star on any given night. Players always go through stretches of hot and cold play but its rather consistent with this group of players. There’s one guy I’d like to highlight for his recent play as of late, and that players name is William Karlsson.

Karlsson came over to Vegas when general manager George McPhee picked him via the expansion draft in June. Last season for the Columbus Blue Jackets he scored six goals, 19 assists and 25 points in 81 games played. Not bad for a player that played fourth line minutes but in Vegas, he’s gotten a much more significant role.

The 24-year olds first season with the Golden Knights has gotten off to an incredible start. He’s already matched last seasons goal total with six and is on pace to blast through all of his career highs. The mind-blowing stat to me is average time on ice, and he’s getting a whopping 18:10.

There’s no doubt Head Coach Gerard Gallant has his hands all over this one. The two way forward found a ton of chemistry centering linemates Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. Gallant was more than happy to put these three on a line together. The coaching staff also trusts Karlsson in all situations including special teams. He has the teams only two shorthanded goals in franchise history including this one from last nights game versus the Winnipeg Jets.

Karlsson’s recent hot streak is no fluke.  After the Marsta Sweden native went pointless the first four games of the season, he turned up the pace in a big way. He’s been a point per game player since scoring six goals, six assists and 12 points in the last 12 games played.

Karlsson also has that hidden ability to show up in clutch situations. The young Golden Knights center is second on the team in game-winning goals with two. And Gallant isn’t afraid to use him for three on three overtime as seen here:

It’s fair to say Karlsson won’t be a point per game player for the rest of the season. But 40-45 points isn’t out of the question for him either. As long as Gallant keeps giving him large amounts of ice time, he’s going to put up more significant numbers than anyone ever expected.

Next: When Will Dylan Ferguson Get His Shot?

All in all, the Vegas Golden Knights have Karlsson special kind of player in Karlsson. Karlsson looks like what Vadim Shipachyov should’ve been doing for this club. Except the difference was when Karlsson faced adversity at the beginning of the season, he used it as motivation instead of pouting.

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