Rasmus Andersson is on the move.
Per Sportsnet’s Elliote Friedman, the Calgary Flames have traded the defenceman to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in return for Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2027 conditional second-round pick and the rights to unsigned defenceman Abram Wiebe.
The 29-year-old Andersson has 10 goals and 30 points in 48 games so far this year, and he’s averaging 24:14 of ice time for the Flames, who are sitting in seventh place in the Pacific Division at 21-23-4.
Before being moved to Vegas, Andersson reportedly was receiving interest from a handful of teams, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, with the Golden Knights and Boston Bruins being “strong contenders.”
On Sunday morning, Friedman reported that “the team that appears to be in the driver’s seat” was the Bruins. He added that Boston was the only team that had permission from the Flames to discuss a contract extension with Andersson.
Ultimately, Andersson will spend the rest of the season with the Golden Knights. After that, he’ll hit free agency.
The Golden Knights sit atop the Pacific Division at 24-11-12 and appear to be in position to make a run to the Stanley Cup. Clearly, Vegas is all in on its pursuit of a championship after adding a talented defenceman like Andersson.