Rumor has it that Rasmus Andersson has a handshake deal in place with the Vegas Golden Knights for a contract extension. The Swedish Olympian was acquired from the Calgary Flames for two draft picks, Zach Whitecloud, and Abram Wiebe. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the Golden Knights would want to keep Andersson around for the long haul.
Darren Dreger added more fuel to the fire, talking about his speculated price range on Barn Burner. The number that came up? $8.5 million AAV.
"The numbers were speculated somewhere in the vicinity of 8.5 [million AAV], along those lines."Darren Dreger on Barn Burner
Golden Knights fans won't like this too much since Andersson wasn't the most productive player for the Golden Knights this past season. Take your pick among the many miscues that the defenseman had during his Vegas residency, whether it's his Game 2 blunder in the Stanley Cup Final or his lack of playoff production (six assists in 22 games).
More fans will cry foul after seeing Pavel Dorofeyev be traded to the New York Rangers for three draft picks. However, there's a catch to that. He signed a seven-year deal worth $11 million AAV, which is quite the overpay for a pure shooting winger.
Why Vegas Golden Knights fans won't like the speculated number for Rasmus Andersson's next contract
Look, I'm starting to believe that an Andersson deal is inevitable, especially after Dorofeyev was offloaded to the Rangers. While crazier things have happened with Kelly McCrimmon as the general manager, fans are wondering if Andersson's price tag is truly worth it.
The aforementioned postseason blunders don't help his case too much. If he doesn't hand the Carolina Hurricanes Game 2 with his costly errors, the Golden Knights would've carried their momentum further in the Stanley Cup Final, even going as far as winning the whole thing.
But it goes beyond the mere blunders. Andersson turns 30 in October, leaving the Golden Knights with yet another 30-year-old on the roster. Sure, you have cheaper, younger options in tow such as Braeden Bowman and Trevor Connelly waiting in the wings. But Andersson's $8.5 million deal won't inspire too much confidence in a Golden Knights fanbase underwhelmed by his 2025-26 performance.
One can only hope that Andersson picks up the production if he gets his deal. The Golden Knights will have some missing pieces on the blue line heading into the offseason. If Andersson gets extended, that'll mean a pickup in production for the Swedish Olympian.
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