The Vegas Golden Knights have selected Columbus Blue Jackets center Lars William Karlsson in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
“Wild Bill” came to Columbus from Anaheim at the 2015 trade deadline along with Rene Bourque in return for James Wisniewski. In 165 games in the Union Blue, Karlsson had 16 goals and 31 assists. While never an offensive catalyst, Karlsson earned praise from John Tortorella for his play away from the puck.
This summer, Karlsson was part of the Swedish team that won the IIHF World Championship.
In Vegas, Karlsson will likely remain a bottom 6 center, but if they’re smart they’ll give him special teams minutes, especially on the PK.
Good luck, Lars. We’ll miss your flow most of all: