William Karlsson's Health is Up In The Air Ahead Of Golden Knights' Regular Season Opener

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said that William Karlsson wouldn't play in the team's final pre-season game on Saturday and is leaving the door open for him to play in the regular season opener.

Karlsson had been absent from practice since Sep. 22, with what was originally called "maintenance" but has still yet to return to practice. The injury remains undisclosed and is now considered questionable for the Golden Knights' home opener against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old scored 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games last year while playing as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. He dealt with injuries during the team's first-round series against the Dallas Stars missing most of the team's practices and avoided taking faceoffs.

No direct link can be made between what Karlsson dealt with last year to what is affecting him now, but what was supposedly deemed maintenance for injury-related reasons to go on this long is a troubling sight.

The Swedish centre headed into camp as the team's second-line centre playing alongside Mark Stone and Pavel Dorofeyev in a shutdown role.

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Losing Karlsson is a major blow but the team is staying optimistic that it's not long-term and that he will be available on opening night.

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