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Golden Knights dealt mixed bag of injury updates

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Colin Gallant | Last updated Oct 22, 2024 3:37 PM ET

The Vegas Golden Knights have started to fall back down to earth after a perfect 3-0 start to the 2024-25 NHL season. The Knights have lost three games in a row since last Tuesday, and are one regulation defeat away from being back to .500.

And although reinforcements could be on the way, the team was dealt a tough injury blow on Tuesday. Victor Olofsson, who had been manning top-six duties early on in the campaign, is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed. The Swedish left winger sustained the ailment in the third period of a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on October 15.

Cassidy said that Olofsson will be out of the lineup for “at least a couple of weeks.” It’s disappointing considering Olofsson was off to a solid start, having scored three goals in his first four games with the Golden Knights. He was also looking dangerous on the top powerplay unit along with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl and Shea Theodore, and was far outplaying the one-year, $1.075 million free agent contract he signed over the summer.

Without the services of Olofsson for the foreseeable future, Vegas will likely continue with Eichel, Stone and Ivan Barbashev on the top line, with Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev flanking Hertl on the second line.

Although losing Olofsson is discouraging, the Golden Knights will at least be welcoming a familiar face back to the lineup in the interim.

William Karlsson is nearing a return from IR

Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) warms up before the start of game six against the Dallas Stars in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

William Karlsson, an original ‘Golden Misfit’ who won the Stanley Cup with the franchise in 2023, practiced in full with the Knights on Monday for the first time since the end of September.

The 31-year-old wore a red non-contact jersey during practice, and according to Cassidy, he could be back before the end of the week.

“He’s back with the group,” Cassidy said, per NHL.com’s Paul Delos Santos. “Step 1 was getting on his own; step 2 now with a red jersey. Step 3 will be integrating and playing. He’s not ready yet, but he looks good. … Usually when they’re in red, they’re fairly close. I rule him out for tomorrow, but not for Friday.”

Karlsson won’t play against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena, but he could be an option as soon as Friday against the Ottawa Senators.

The Swede will be a huge boost to the lineup; he scored 30 goals and 60 points over 70 regular-season games in 2023-24. He added another two assists over seven Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

“We’ll put him in and see and get him going a little bit,” Cassidy continued. “We’ll get his game in order. He missed a lot of time, so we’ll work around what’s working well. That would be the easiest thing to do. Let’s get ‘Karly’ up to speed where his game is usually is, and then we’ll start figuring out the pieces from there.”

Frozen Frenzy is on tap on Tuesday — with all 32 NHL teams in action — and the Golden Knights and Kings will be the last of the night, with puck drop set for just past 11:00 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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