Karlsson said he believes negotiations with the Golden Knights will begin soon. He can sign a qualifying offer if one is made by Vegas, or sign an offer sheet with another NHL team starting July 1, or enter arbitration with Vegas later in the offseason. He played the final season of a two-year, $2 million contract he signed with the Blue Jackets on June 23, 2016.
"I leave all that for my agent," he said. "Nothing really that is interesting to me. Right now, I want to relax and not think about hockey at all. When we start to talk, we'll start to talk and I'll listen to what my agent says."
Karlsson is a finalist for the Lady Byng Award at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN). Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov and Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly of the Buffalo Sabres are the other finalists for the award given to the NHL player voted to best combine gentlemanly conduct, sportsmanship and ability.