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NHL Notebook: William Karlsson signs two-year extension with Golden Knights

Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

By Cynthia Ryley Delaney

Sep 30, 2026, 18:00 EDT

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There aren’t many original misfits left on the Vegas Golden Knights.

One of them, William Karlsson will be a Golden Knight (barring a trade) for the next three seasons, as the Swede signed a two-year extension that carries an annual cap hit of $6.75 million. That’s set to begin next season, as he’s making $5.9 million in the final year of his eight-year deal.

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THE WILD WEST JUST GOT WILDER 🤠 The Golden Knights have signed William Karlsson to a two-year contract extension! #VegasBorn Full details » vgk.io/_kognk-Jv

William Karlsson: Two-year contract extension

8:01 PM · Sep 30, 2026

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Karlsson was originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks back in the 2011 NHL Draft, but played just 18 games with the California-based team in 2014-15. Before the 2015 deadline, he was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he spent parts of three seasons before the Golden Knights selected him in the 2017 expansion draft.

The 33-year-old broke out with the upstart franchise, scoring a career-best 43 goals and 78 points in 82 games, with seven goals and 15 points in 20 playoff games. In just their first season in the NHL, the Golden Knights went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Washington Capitals.

While he’s never reached those heights since, Karlsson has remained a productive NHLer, including 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games during the 2023-24 season. He also won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2023, scoring 11 goals and 17 points, and lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2025-26.

Karlsson is one of just three players remaining from the 2017-18 Golden Knights season. The other two, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, are veteran defencemen who are 31 and 35 years old respectively.

Ryan Spooner retires

Another veteran called it a career on Wednesday, as 34-year-old Ryan Spooner announced his retirement from hockey.

Spooner played parts of seven seasons in the NHL, three of which were rather productive for the role he played. In his first season as an NHL regular in 2015-16, Spooner scored 13 goals and 49 points with the Boston Bruins. The following season, Spooner scored 11 goals and 39 games, then 13 goals and 41 points in 2017-18 as he split his time between the Bruins and New York Rangers.

But from there, the Ottawa product’s production fell off a cliff. Beginning the 2018-19 season with the Rangers, Spooner played 16 games where he scored a goal and two points. In November, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for current Flame Ryan Strome, playing 25 games where he scored two goals and three points. Before the 2019 trade deadline, Spooner was sent to the Vancouver Canucks, where he played 11 games, picking up four assists.

That was it for his NHL career, as Spooner spent the rest of his career overseas, mainly in Russia. In 346 Kontinental Hockey League games, Spooner scored 82 goals and 286 points, better than his 48 goals and 167 points in 325 NHL games. Spooner also had two stints in Switzerland and played five games in Slovakia this season.

Gavin McKenna makes NHL debut

From a player who just retired to a player who just began his career, 2026 first overall pick Gavin McKenna made his debut on Tuesday evening.

It didn’t go great for the Whitehorse, Yukon product, as he was held pointless in just over 15 minutes of ice time, finishing as a -2. In the end, the Toronto Maple Leafs fell 3-2 to the Montréal Canadiens in their season opener.

Despite the rough game, the sky is the moon for the 18-year-old. He tore up the Western Hockey League as a 17-year-old, potting 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Then in the postseason, he added nine goals and 38 points in 16 games, en route to winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

In his draft year, McKenna joined Penn State, scoring 15 goals and 51 points for the Nittany Lions. In the end, Penn State fell 3-1 in the Regionals to Minnesota Duluth.

Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFO Calgary, DFO Edmonton, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.

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