The halfway point of the NHL season has come and gone. Even with all of the parity in the Western Conference, some teams– like the Vegas Golden Knights, who sit atop the Pacific Division– have pulled away from the pack. Others– like the Calgary Flames, who sit at 29th in the league– have accepted their fate as sellers this season.
Those two particular teams didn’t wait until the Trade Deadline to start making their moves. On Sunday, the Golden Knights acquired defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames.
The Golden Knights have been circling Andersson for quite some time. The buzz started last summer, when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that they were interested in the defenseman.
Over the last few weeks, the rumors came back with a vengeance. Pierre LeBrun reported that the Golden Knights were “very close” to acquiring Andersson over the summer.
That noise is all in the past now. Andersson is officially a Golden Knight. Along with picks, defenseman Zach Whitecloud is the main piece going back the other way.
Whitecloud signed with Vegas as an undrafted free agent out of Bemidji State University in 2017 and has been with the organization ever since. He played 368 regular season games with the Golden Knights.
Whitecloud helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2022-23, playing all 22 games and adding a game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final.
At 25% retained, Andersson heads to Vegas with a salary cap hit of just $2.275 million. He will become a free agent this summer, and as of now, there is no extension in place.
After sending their 2027 first-round pick to the Flames, the Golden Knights’ cabinet of draft picks is all but depleted. They don’t have a first-round selection until 2028– and if they win the Stanley Cup this season, that 2028 first will go to Calgary, as well.
But draft picks don’t matter to teams that are trying to win the Stanley Cup. And that’s exactly what the Golden Knights are trying to do.
