The Vegas Golden Knights acquired defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

The trade was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger but has since been confirmed by the Golden Knights.

In exchange, Calgary receives defenseman Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick and defenseman Abram Weibe in the trade, as first reported by SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman. The 2027 second will become a first if Vegas wins the Stanley Cup this year, and the 2027 first is top-10 protected.

As part of the deal, Calary will retain 50 percent of Andersson’s $4.55 million cap hit. Andersson, 29, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Notably, a contract extension was not part of the deal.

Andersson to Vegas with 50 per cent retained

Return:

Whitecloud
2027 1st
2027 2nd, becomes a first if Vegas wins Cup this year
Abram Weibe, a defenceman at UND

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 18, 2026

Vegas was tied to Andersson in trade rumors over the summer, though Vegas and Calgary were unable to reach a deal for the right-shot defenseman.

Rumors about an impending trade involving Andersson resurfaced yesterday after Andersson seemingly saluted the Calgary crowd and his teammates at the end of the Flames’ 4-2 win over the Islanders.

Rasmus Andersson seemed to get emotional as he saluted the crowd in Calgary and gave high-five’s and hugs to all his teammates before leaving the ice 🥺

Andersson’s time with the Flames is likely coming to an end soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/MQIxt7bfLL

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 17, 2026

Boston was heavily interested in Andersson and had permission to discuss an extension, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, though no deal was reached. Vegas was not afforded that same opportunity, but the Golden Knights clearly were comfortable making the deal regardless.

This is not new territory for Vegas, as the Golden Knights did not have an extension in place when they landed Noah Hanifin from Calgary at the trade deadline two years ago. Hanifin went on to sign an eight-year, $58.8 million deal a little over a month later.

Andersson, a 6-foot-1, 202-pound native of Malmo, Sweden, has 10 goals and 30 points in 48 games this season while averaging 24:14 per game. Ten of his 30 points have come on the man-advantage.

The rugged rearguard recorded a career-high 50 points in 2021-22 when the Flames won the Pacific Division. He and Hanifin skated on the same pair that year and were teammates from 2018-19 through 2023-24.

Andersson is currently one point away from tying his point total from all of last year (81 games), and he is just two goals shy of setting a new career best after recording 11 last season and in 2022-23. Andersson may, however, see a dip in his production without a steady role on the power play.

Andersson gives Vegas another puck-moving defenseman who can play a top-four role and help fill the hole left by Alex Pietrangelo, who is out for the year with a potentially career-ending injury.

With the 50 percent retention, Andersson’s cap hit of $2.275 million will save Vegas around $475,000 this year, though he is due a hefty raise on his next deal.

The former 2015 second-round pick (No. 53) wraps up a 10-year career with the Flames with 57 goals and 204 points in 585 games to go along with seven goals and 14 points in 27 career postseason contests.

Rasmus Andersson, acquired by VGK, is an offensive defenceman who can carry the puck up-ice and defend the net-front. Tools are good, production is good, underlying numbers haven’t been so great. Has in past struggled defending the rush and making clean plays out of the zone. pic.twitter.com/oAWS4EElNv

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 18, 2026

Andersson will represent Team Sweden at the Olympics next month and is expected to wear No. 4 for the Golden Knights.

The primary asset heading to Calgary is Whitecloud, who has spent his entire career with the Golden Knights after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2018.

Whitecloud, also a 29-year-old right-shot defenseman, finishes his Vegas tenure with 23 goals and 78 points along with 602 hits and 575 blocks in 368 regular-season games. He added five goals and 17 points in 78 postseason games and was a member of the 2023 Stanley Cup team, playing a key role as one half of Vegas’ dynamic third pairing with Nicolas Hague, who was dealt to Nashville over the summer.

Whitecloud scored the game-winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against Florida.

Whitecloud has two goals and seven points in 47 games this season and has averaged 18:46 per game. He is in the fourth year of a six-year contract with an average annual value of $2.75 million signed back in 2021.

He became the first member of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to play in the National Hockey League when he made his NHL debut in April 2018. Whitecloud was beloved by fans and teammates throughout his eight seasons in Las Vegas and will be missed.

As part of the trade, the Golden Knights also parted with two draft picks and a prospect. The Flames now own Vegas’ first-round selections in both 2026 and 2027 after the Hanifin and Andersson trades.

Wiebe, the other piece in the package, is a college prospect playing for the University of North Dakota. The 22-year-old blueliner was Vegas’ seventh-round draft pick (No. 209 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. He has three goals and 14 points in 24 games this year.

The deal comes as the Golden Knights are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak and sit in first place in the Pacific Division.

Vegas is no stranger to big moves, and this likely will not be the only trade the Golden Knights make ahead of the Olympic trade freeze (Feb. 4—22) or the March 6 trade deadline. That being said, this deal does take a bite out of Vegas’ available assets, which could limit the club’s ability to pursue additional options.