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Following the unfortunate news that Alex Pietrangelo will be stepping back from hockey to deal with multiple injuries, there is a hole on the Vegas Golden Knights' blue line. And it looks like Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson wants to fill it.
Andersson and the Flames remain far apart in contract talks, and as The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported on Monday, the Knights are his preferred landing spot in a potential trade.
“The 2026 unrestricted free agent’s hammer is that he controls which team he would be interested in extending with as part of a trade-and-sign scenario. And as of Monday, the team that tops his list, league sources told The Athletic, is the Vegas Golden Knights,” wrote LeBrun in his latest NHL rumblings.
“This explains why Vegas and Calgary have had numerous discussions over the past week, but still no trade has been made, as the Flames haven’t yet been excited about what the Golden Knights have put on the table. It makes sense that the Flames believe they should get more in a trade if Andersson is signed to an extension as part of it (he’s got one more year on his deal).
“However, Andersson appears to be a little picky about where he would sign, which is his right, as he would be forgoing a chance at unrestricted free agency 12 months from now. Right now, it sounds like it’s Vegas for him.”
Despite significant interest, Rasmus Andersson prefers Golden Knights
Along with the Golden Knights, the right-shot top-four defenseman has also been linked to the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. But since Andersson wasn't willing to discuss a potential extension with any of those teams, a trade didn't materialize.
The Swedish veteran currently has a modified no-trade clause, so he does have some say in where he will end up — if that's what the resolution ends up being. As LeBrun reported, “there remains a chance that Flames general manager Craig Conroy will keep Andersson and have him start next season in Calgary, focusing on the trade deadline in March as a better time to move him.”
That being said, the Flames are looking to attract another top-four defenseman in free agency on Tuesday to potentially replace him. If that happens, they could circle back to Vegas in Andersson trade talks, per LeBrun.
Calgary re-signed Joel Hanley to a two-year contract extension on Tuesday, taking one of their veteran blue liners off of the market, the team announced.
The focus in Alberta remains on Andersson, and if he agrees to an extension as part of a trade, he could be joining Mitch Marner and the Golden Knights ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
