The Vegas Golden Knights definitely made a major statement when, on January 18th, they pulled the trigger on a deal for Calgary Flames veteran defenceman Rasmus Andersson.
Golden Knights become serious Stanley Cup Favorites with acquisition of Rasmus Andersson
Showing just how much they want to win the Stanley Cup, Vegas definitely received a huge boost to their blue line when on Sunday, January 18th, they traded hard nose defenceman Zach Whitecloud, defenceman prospect Abram Wiebe, a conditional 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 conditional second round draft pick to Calgary in exchange for the 29 year-old Andersson whose strengths include blocking shots, playing air tight defensive hockey while averaging over 20 minutes per game along with having quite the offensive upside.
Rumored for quite some time to be on the trading block, Andersson, who is on his sixth and final year of a six-year $27,300,000 contract, has produced so far this year 10 goals and 30 points along with being tied for 9th among NHL defenceman with 112 shots on goal along with being tied for fifth along derfenceman with four Power Play goals.
Another interesting stat is that Andersson ranks eighth this year with the hardest shot taken at 100.26 miles per-hour.
All hockey fans know that a team must have a solid defense core if they hope for a long playoff run. Prior to the trade, Vegas has such studs as hard hitting Noah Haniffin, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Jeremy Lauzon and Kaedan Korczak but with the addition of Andersson this makes it a serious Stanley Cup contending defence core.
“To be able to get it done with Vegas, they were willing to do it and do it without a contract because that was one thing that was made clear to us just in the last, maybe 12 hours, was there wasn’t going to be an extension signed with any of the teams,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy said. “That definitely changed the way we had to negotiate and what we got back in return.”
Andersson, who earlier this month was named to Team Sweden for next month’s 2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, has in 584 regular season games produced 57 goals and 204 assists. During the playoffs, Andersson has been dominant in scoring seven goals and 14 points in 27 games.
Getting a minute muncher hard nosed offensive minded defenceman like Andersson makes Vegas in my opinion a top three to win the Stanley Cup.
Andersson emotional about leaving the Flames
On Saturday, January 17th, following a Flames 4-2 home win against the New York Islanders, an emotional Andersson took a few extra seconds to look up at the Scotiabank Saddledome fan base, as he high fived each his teammate as they skated off following the victory. It almost looked like Andersson knew this would be his last game as a Flame at home, and he was correct.
A couple of days later after being traded, this popular player showed his deep gratitude to Calgarians as he wrote a thank you letter on twitter.
“Calgary, thank you for everything you’ve done for me, ever since being drafted in 2015, I’ve loved this organization,” he wrote. “I’ve truly loved every second of playing for this amazing team and city, to all the fans, thank you for always supporting me and keeping me honest at the same time.”
Andersson went on to add, “To my teammates, coaches, training staff and everyone at the front office, THANK YOU! Wishing the Flames nothing but the best in the future, and I’ll always be a fan.”
Upon being traded, Andersson didn’t sign an extension and as of now, will be this coming summer an unrestricted free agent.
One big reason for his popularity is how after scoring a goal, Andersson would skate to the glass and give a fan wearing an opposing team jersey what has been called “The Razzy death stare.”
“It’s just Razzy. It’s on brand. He likes to get the crowd going and get the fans into it,” Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar said.
Players headed to Calgary in the Andersson trade
In trading Andersson, the Flames acquired a physical veteran defenceman in Whitecloud who was part of the 2023 Golden Knights Stanley Cup winning team.
Following eight seasons with the Golden Knights, Whitecloud, who has produced in 47 games this season two goals along with seven points and 20 PIM’s,
is excited to be a heading to Calgary.
“Excited is an understatement,” he said. “Growing up in Manitoba, I watched the Flames, Leafs, Oilers and Canucks and all those teams, and I never envisioned myself playing in the NHL for one.”
The second player heading to Calgary is Wiebe who is 22 years-old and currently playing at University of North Dakota where in 24 games this season he has scored 3 goals, 11 assists and 14 points.
Wiebe was originally drafted in 2022, seventh round, 209 overall by the Golden Knights. This is Wiebe’s third season at North Dakota where in 102 games he has scored 8 goals, 48 points while registering 55 PIM’s.
Once again, Andersson brings physicality, offensive flair, shot blocking and can easily log over 20 minutes which are all key ingredients for a solid defenceman. Besides the much improved defence, Vegas, led by Jack Eichel. Mark Stone and Mitch Marner, have dangerous fire-power up front and will definitely be a favorite come playoff time.
