Golden Knights’ Karlsson to make 2026 playoff debut after missing nearly six months

The Vegas Golden Knights are getting one of the original misfits back into the lineup for Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks.

Head coach John Tortorella delivered the update Monday that veteran forward William Karlsson would draw in to make his debut in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Karlsson last appeared in a regular season game on Nov. 8, also against the Ducks. In his 14 regular season games, he finished with four goals and three assists for seven points. Originally drafted by Anaheim in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft, Karlsson has been in Vegas for nearly a decade now after being one of the stars of Vegas’ inaugural team, and one of the few to not get traded elsewhere in the years since.

As of January, there was no timetable for Karlsson’s return to play from the lower-body injury he suffered in November.

The 33-year-old Swede has a long history of being an impact performer in the playoffs. In 111 career postseason games, he has 74 points, including a 17-point effort in 22 games when Vegas won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

The Golden Knights punched their ticket to the second round by defeating the Utah Mammoth in come-from-behind fashion in six games thanks to major offensive contributions up and down their lineup.

They will now meet up with the Ducks for the first time in a playoff series. Anaheim earned its spot with a six-game upset over the Edmonton Oilers, who won the Western Conference in the past two years.

Game 1 is set for a 9:30 PM EST puck drop as Karlsson and the Golden Knights will look to get their second round series started off on the right foot as they chase the franchise’s second Stanley Cup.