TORONTO — The Vegas Golden Knights, on the night of what will already be an emotionally charged game, are expected to have defenseman Rasmus Andersson make his debut Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Andersson was skating with the healthy scratches at Scotiabank Arena Friday morning.
“He’s here, so that means there’s a chance,” coach Bruce Cassidy said Thursday night.
The Knights reassigned defenseman Jaycob Megna back to Henderson in a corresponding move.
The headline will read Friday’s game as Mitch Marner’s long-awaited return to Toronto, but it will also mark the debut of the most coveted player on the trade market this year.
Andersson was acquired by the Knights on Sunday in a trade with Calgary that saw defenseman Zach Whitecloud, two draft picks and prospect Abram Wiebe head to the Flames.
Andersson’s debut had been on hold because of immigration delays that held up the Sweden native from joining the Knights in the United States. Andersson joined the Knights in Boston but arrived in not enough time to suit up for Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins.
At the very least, this means Andersson will join the Knights for their three-game trip through eastern Canada. They play the Ottawa Senators on Sunday followed by the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
As for what this means when the Knights return to Las Vegas, that’s unclear at the moment. Hurdles may still need to be cleared for Andersson to play in the United States.
But for now, the Knights have their latest acquisition in the fold.
Andersson had 30 points through 48 games with Calgary while playing averaging a career-high 24:14 of ice time. The 29-year-old has appeared has 261 points in 584 career games.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.