This past summer hasn't been too kind to William Karlsson. The Original Misfit has been subjected to endless trade speculation and rumors with Mitch Marner looming. In fact, it got to the point where Kelly McCrimmon had to reassure the Swedish center that he wasn't going anywhere.
Luckily, he's sticking around with the Vegas Golden Knights for the 2025-26 season (and beyond). Still, that didn't stop some podcasters from being skeptical of the Misfit's standing within the organization.
They called him "washed," saying that injuries would catch up to him. Playing 53 games in 2024-25 will do that to a player. Add nine goals and 20 assists to the mix and you have someone dealing with amplified criticism.
However, Karlsson shouldn't be left for dead. Instead, he should be given another chance for a few reasons. One can point to a wave of experience the center carries and see why he'll rebound without a hitch.
It goes beyond this, though. These three reasons will show that Karlsson will be just fine in 2025-26. In fact, you will feel pretty "F*****g great" after reading these reasons. Time to drink some Michelob like we're at Toshiba Plaza and see why.
1.) He's reunited with his best buddy, Reilly Smith, for a full season
Let's go back to the Stanley Cup-winning year for a second. The Misfit Line was one of the most instrumental groups, playing 51 games together and registering an xGoals% of 58, according to MoneyPuck. That was good enough for second-best on the Golden Knights that season (minimum 150 minutes).
Smith and Karlsson go extremely well together by complementing each other in all facets of the game. Having the experience of playing together goes a long way in helping each other during the Stanley Cup playoffs, especially when you won a Stanley Cup together.
2.) People forgot about his 2023-24 season already
During that season, Karlsson scored 30 goals and 30 assists with the Golden Knights. It was only the third time in his career that he scored 20 or more goals, marking a return to the norm for the center.
While he was injured throughout a chunk of the season, 2023-24 showed what he can do with more games on the docket (70 games played). Karlsson has also maintained a cleaner bill of health than most Golden Knights, making him more valuable.
3.) Karlsson has been relatively consistent
The last time Karlsson had fewer than 20 assists in a season was 2016-17 with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Even with the injuries limiting him to 53 games last season, the Misfit put up 20 assists.
His consistency has been a hallmark of his Golden Knights career, making him one of the most stable players in franchise history. Fans shouldn't be surprised if he has a bounceback season with Vegas in 2025-26.