Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 2 a.m.
With less than 25 games left in the regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights could see the return of two players who have been on injured reserve for the last month and a half.
Center William Karlsson and forward Cole Schwindt returned to full team practice in “no-contact” jerseys on Tuesday.
It’s the first time Karlsson has skated with the team since Jan. 20 and the first time Schwindt’s been with the team since Jan. 18.
“They’re excited to be around people. It’s been a while,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “They’re on different schedules. Karly (Karlsson) was designed to take two drills and rest. Schwindty (Schwindt) had a little bit more runway today.”
Karlsson, one of the Golden Knights’ top centers, has been struggling with injuries all season. He missed the first eight games of the year due to a hamstring injury that carried over from the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This time around, he’s been dealing with a lower-body injury. Despite Karlsson skating with the team, it is likely that they will not bring him back until after the trade deadline on Friday to take advantage of his contract being on long-term injured reserve.
He has an annual hit of $5.9 million, giving the Golden Knights a substantial cap bump to their $2.4 million available without his contract.
Despite Schwindt being a late acquisition — they picked up off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 7 — he’s been productive during his time in Vegas.
He has seven assists in 38 games with Vegas, settling into a role on the fourth line. Schwindt has been dealing with a lower-body injury, which at one point had him on crutches and in a boot.
“Schwindty has been playing good hockey for us,” Cassidy said. “Both guys are good assets, and the quicker we get them back, the better.”
Bringing the pair back sooner, rather than right before the playoffs, benefits the Golden Knights in terms of finding line chemistry. Vegas struggled with this before and during the playoffs last season.
A few games before the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Vegas brought back a handful of players who were on long-term injured reserve at once. While everyone who came back was healthy, the Golden Knights struggled to develop line chemistry quickly.
It fell to the top seed in the west, Dallas, in seven games, but a healthier lineup coming in sooner could’ve given Vegas a higher seed and a deeper run in the playoffs.
“Them (Karlsson and Schwindt) coming back allows us to look at our overall line chemistry too for down the road,” Cassidy said. “There’s some certain combinations we want to look at with Karly. We just haven’t been able to because certain guys are injured at the same time, or he’s been out.”
“It’ll be nice to look at the experience when he (Karlsson) fully returns.”
When Karlsson and Schwindt eventually return, Vegas will be one player shy of being in full health. Shea Theodore, who broke his wrist during the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 20, is not expected to return until possibly the playoffs.
He’s left a sizable gap in the lineup, but Cassidy said Kaedan Korczak, who has been in the role of the seventh/eighth defenseman this season, has done a solid job of filling in the void on the blue line.
“Korzy (Korczak) has come in and worked hard on a regular basis,” Cassidy said. “Korzy has done a good job. He’s a right (handed) stick, and you can plug him right in there, and he’s getting better every game.”
The Golden Knights host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at 7 p.m.