Heading into the offseason, the cap-strapped Vegas Golden Knights will need to find a way to retain defenseman Rasmus Andersson, should they want to. According to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, they won’t get any pushback from Andersson, who reaffirmed his position to remain with the Golden Knights long-term.
Vegas paid a pretty penny to acquire him from the Calgary Flames this past season, especially since no extension had been agreed upon. In mid-January, the Golden Knights sent Zach Whitecloud, Abram Wiebe, a top-10 protected first-round pick, and a second-round pick to the Flames for Andersson’s services.
Still, despite Andersson’s willingness to stay, he wasn’t that productive with Vegas, especially for the price he may have set for his next contract. Andersson scored seven goals and 17 points in 33 games to finish off the regular season, while only tallying six assists in 22 playoff games. Additionally, he proved costly in the Stanley Cup Final, managing a -2 rating in six games with seven turnovers.
Additional notes from the Western Conference:
Sticking with the Golden Knights, Webster also reported that captain Mark Stone suffered a tear in his left adductor that led to him missing a few games in Round Two and the Western Conference Final. The injury clearly limited him, as he scored three goals and seven points in nine games before the tear, and four goals and five points in eight games afterwards.
According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, veteran forward Nick Foligno has not made a firm commitment on the future of his playing career. Foligno, 38, split the year with the Chicago Blackhawks before a deadline trade brought him to the Minnesota Wild to play with his brother, Marcus Foligno. Although he hasn’t yet decided, Portzline noted that Foligno has already started offseason workouts and will monitor how his market develops once free agency opens.