Vegas Golden Knights: William Karlsson Deserves Consideration for Selke Trophy
William Karlsson’s two-way game among the best on the Vegas Golden Knights roster and the entire NHL.
Everyone knows what type of year the Vegas Golden Knights have had. A division title in the first year of existence of an expansion franchise is an extraordinary accomplishment. A lot of that has to do with the production of William Karlsson.
The fans got it right when they voted the Marsta, Sweden native as the teams first seventh player award winner. After scoring six goals all last year for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Karlsson upped his total to an unprecedented 43 goals. No fan or media member saw that kind of skill in Karlsson’s game when he was in Columbus and Anaheim.
His 43 goals are obviously the best on the club by far, and he also totaled 35 assists and 78 points. Karlsson just took over Jonathan Marchessault for the team lead in points. But what goes unrecognized noticed by many is the 25-year olds defensive style of play.
Head Coach Gerard Gallant puts “Wild Bill” out in almost every circumstance. Even strength, power play, penalty kill, you name it. The coach has the utmost trust in his number one center on every critical situation.
He has improved on the faceoff dot this year with a 47.7% faceoff percentage. In the previous three seasons, Karlsson’s face off percentages was 47.2%, 45.7%, and 45.3%. Every draw matters especially when it comes time for the postseason. To see Karlsson lift his game up in the faceoff department is crucial for this teams success in the playoffs.
He’s the best penalty killer on the team and makes responsible plays every time he’s on the ice. When his team is down a player, Karlsson turns it up a level as he is second in the NHL in shorthanded goals with four.
I know plus/minus is a slanted stat at times but check this out: William Karlsson leads the league with a +49 rating. The next players on that list are his linemates, Marchessault with a +37 and Reilly Smith with a +32. Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings follows them at +31. Having that big of a gap over the entire league deserves some recognition.
Karlsson consistently plays over 18 minutes a night on the Vegas Golden Knights roster. Playing against opposing teams number one units night after night hasn’t slowed down the young centerman. In fact, he’s been improving in every facet of the game just by Gallant giving him added minutes.
Yes, he has other great defensive forwards in the league to compete with such as Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron, Sean Couturier and Alex Barkov. However, his stats and hot play shouldn’t go unnoticed. If there’s anyone that should receive some Selke votes its Gallants right-hand man.
Next: Vegas Golden Knights: Why William Karlsson Will Win The Seventh Player Award
All in all, the Vegas Golden Knights centerman deserves some love. He may not win the award due to other exceptional defensive forwards, but he should absolutely be in the top five among voting. Perhaps he can prove the world why he’s one of the leagues best defensive forwards on the national stage in the Stanley Cup playoffs.