One minute, you're the talk of the NHL. Next, you're talking about getting a new deal with your new team. That's the case for Rasmus Andersson, who was recently acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights. While Andersson is an unrestricted free agent after this season, Elliotte Friedman believes there's more to his stay than this season.
On his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman talked about how the Golden Knights would eventually sign the defenseman to a contract extension.
"Everyone believes this is going to end in a Rasmus Andersson extension in Vegas."Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts
Before coming to Vegas, the Swedish Olympian had 10 goals and 20 assists. He carried an average Flames team that wasn't making any traction in the Pacific Division, let alone the Western Conference.
The extension talks themselves shouldn't come as a surprise to Golden Knights fans. The rumors swirling around Andersson sticking around in Sin City have been as prevalent as last summer, when his name alone was brought up in trade discussions. That sounds as sweet and nice as an ice cream sundae. But there are potential ramifications of extending the Olympian to a long-term deal.
Who's affected by a long-term Rasmus Andersson deal with the Vegas Golden Knights?
The most obvious name on here should be Pavel Dorofeyev. The Russian winger will be a restricted free agent next season and his price tag continues to soar. He has 20 goals and 16 assists this season, with 13 goals and eight assists coming on the power play.
What's more, he has arbitration rights heading into the negotiations. That will complicate matters further as Kelly McCrimmon assesses his overall roster for the 2026-27 season. There's no denying that he makes the power play much better, given that he has 26 goals on the unit in the past two seasons.
What should Kelly McCrimmon do with the roster? Should he mortgage the house to keep both players around? That could mean some major contracts are being moved around, whether that's Ivan Barbashev or William Karlsson (or more). $4,339,648 isn't much room to get the job done, you know.
You also have pending free agents like Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad, although the latter isn't likely to return at his current pace. An Andersson extension leaves next season's free agents like Smith and Colton Sissons on the outside looking in. That could hamper the forward depth to where Vegas must sacrifice more sizable contracts.
In this instance, the Golden Knights are better off following the Florida Panthers' method of acquiring low-cost fourth-line players. Names like Tomas Nosek and A.J. Greer carried the grind and grit for Florida, leading them to back-to-back Stanley Cups. McCrimmon has been known for nailing these types of deals, with names such as Victor Olofsson coming up.
But that's something that the Golden Knights shouldn't think about right now. They have a Stanley Cup to win right now and that means bringing the best players aboard for the ride. There will be defensemen glaring into the eyes of opposing fans once they score and there will be goals. Let's have a fun ride with Andersson on the ride and let's kick some arse.