William Karlsson is now a Vegas Golden Knight.
As he leaves the Columbus Blue Jackets, it is important to put Karlsson's career with the team into context. He was a fine player with potential that was never reached.
He does have a set of attributes that separate him from the pack, and many of them pertain to his defensive game. He has room to become a better player, and that's reason enough for Vegas to be happy with its selection.
21.05%
That's the "goals for" (GF%) percentage he posted when on the penalty kill, third-best on the team among forwards behind Cam Atkinson and Matt Calvert.
While not the best penalty killer on the team, he is nonetheless one of the best to suit up for the Blue Jackets. He saw the second most minutes among forwards on the penalty kill this year behind center Brandon Dubinsky.
50.06%
The scoring chance percentage for Karlsson this past season while at even strength. His shot differential numbers aren't anything to write home about, but he breaks even in this regard meaning -- his line gets to the dirty areas to score. This is a good sign for a center that doesn't win many face-offs and isn't pushing shot differential in his favor.
101.7
This was Karlsson's PDO last season at even strength, slightly above the flat 100 that most players regress to. Karlsson, like many others on the team, benefited from Sergei Bobrovsky playing out of his mind in a Vezina Trophy-caliber season. Karlsson's shooting percentage stayed at a manageable 8.3%, as well. The verdict: expect a slight drop off in offense from Karlsson unless he puts more pucks toward the net.
3
The amount of playoff points that Karlsson registered against the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. He didn't have the best 2016-17 season when it comes to underlying metrics, but Karlsson came alive when it mattered most in the playoffs.
Not much could've been done about the series against the Stanley Cup champs, but it wasn't for Karlsson's lack of trying or production against the league's top team. It wasn't a particularly lengthy tenure with the Blue Jackets, but nonetheless, Karlsson left an indelible mark on the team. The Golden Knights got a player that still has room to grow, a promising player for any team, let alone an expansion franchise.
