The Vegas Golden Knights have made a big trade for Rasmus Andersson. Weeks before he sets off for Italy to represent Team Sweden at the Olympics, the pending free agent has been moved. There was a four-team race for the defenseman as of Saturday, but on Sunday, the Golden Knights closed the deal.
The Golden Knights have traded for Rasmus Andersson. Pending trade call,” TSN's Darren Dreger reported. According to Frank Seravalli, there is no contract extension in place for Andersson with Vegas just yet.
Spotsnet's Elliotte Friedman broke the return package, “[defensman Zach] Whitecloud, 2027 1st, 2027 2nd, becomes a first if Vegas wins Cup this year, Abram Weibe, a defenceman at UND.” Weibe is a defenseman the Golden Knights drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. When the Golden Knights announced the trade, they referred to the second-rounder as a 2028 conditional second-round pick.
Andersson is slated to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, which made his trade inevitable, according to Flames captain Mikael Backlund. That trade comes before the Olympics, as the Flames have fallen way out of the playoff race.
This is not the first time the Golden Knights have traded for a Flames defenseman mid-season. Noah Hanifin was traded from Calgary to Vegas at the 2024 trade deadline for a first and a third-round pick, among other pieces. That first-rounder is in the 2026 draft.
The Flames could be trading more pieces ahead of the deadline. Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri are the bigger names in the rumor mill, while Ryan Lomberg and Jake Bean are pending free agents. The Flames should be committing to a rebuild as their core of prospects starts to pop on the NHL level.
Andersson further solidifies the already-strong defensive group for the Golden Knights. Even with Alex Pietrangelo out for the season, they are a star-studded unit. That is key for them as their goaltending situation continues to deteriorate. Carter Hart is injured after a rough re-entry to the NHL, and Akira Schmid has not been much better.
