The Vegas Golden Knights will once again have to fill in for a middle-six center. William Karlsson is unlikely to return to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals due to an injury sustained in Game 5, head coach John Tortorella told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Karlsson missed the first six games of Vegas’ postseason run with a lower-body injury that required surgery at the turn of the year.
Even if he doesn’t return, Karlsson’s 2025-26 season will carry the rare feature of more playoff games than regular-season games. His prior injury knocked him out of the lineup in late-November, after the 33 year old scored seven points through the first 14 games of the season. He continued that hot scoring under the lights of the playoffs with 10 points in 15 games so far.
A return to production coincided with a return to key lineup minutes. Karlsson has been the third piece of one of the strongest lines in the postseason, next to leading scorer Mitch Marner and breakout performer Brett Howden. The trio have outscored opponents 11-to-3 in the postseason despite getting outshot 65-to-77.
It will be that role that Vegas now has to find somewhere else. Tomas Hertl holds the likeliest chances to earn a promotion. The veteran center has redeemed a down year with 14 points in 21 playoff games. He has been an X-factor down the lineup for much of the postseason and now could give Vegas a heavy-hitting top-six. But his promotion may cause a full shakeup in the lineup, with the likeliest healthy scratch to step up being winger Brandon Saad, who filled-in for Mark Stone earlier in the playoffs. Vegas is also carrying Braeden Bowman, Trevor Connelly, and Raphael Lavoie in their reserve of black aces.
Tortorella will face a difficult decision in deciding how to replace Karlsson’s hinge role in the top-six. The balance between spreading out talent could be a deciding factor as the Golden Knights face elimination in Game 6 on Sunday.