Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson is looking to parlay a career season into a major payday, as the restricted free agent is seeking $6.5 million annually in arbitration, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
The Golden Knights, on the other hand, have offered $3.5 million. Generally, arbiters pick a number in the middle of the two asks, but a third-party decision won't be needed if Vegas and Karlsson can reach an agreement before his hearing on Saturday.
Karlsson was left unprotected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the expansion draft, and after recording just 50 points in 183 career games, the 25-year-old exploded for the Golden Knights, obliterating his previous bests with 43 goals and 78 points in 82 contests. His dream season yielded the Lady Byng Trophy and some consideration for the Selke, but there's concern as to whether Karlsson can even come close to repeating his stunning production, as he led the league with an astronomical 23.4 shooting percentage.
Vegas certainly has the space to provide Karlsson a lucrative deal, as they have a projected $13 million in available money (Cap Friendly) after their summer's work, which was highlighted by signing free-agent pivot Paul Stastny.
If Karlsson were to fetch what he's after, he'd tie Derek Stepan and teammate Stastny as the 20th richest center in the NHL in terms of cap hit, ahead of the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Mark Scheifele, and Sean Monahan.
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