A Rasmus Andersson Extension Incoming with Vegas
The Calgary Flames traded defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, receiving Zach Whitecloud, a first-round pick, a conditional second-round pick that can become a first, and Abram Wiebe.
This is the second time the Golden Knights and Flames have been trade partners, both involving a defenseman. Remember, Noah Hanifin was traded a couple of seasons ago from the Flames to the Golden Knights. Similar to Hanifin, Andersson was traded without an extension. But that is a risk worth taking for the Golden Knights.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon joined NHL Morning Skate on SiriusXM NHL Network with Gord Stellick and Mike Johnson on Wednesday and was asked about re-signing defenseman Rasmus Andersson after trading for him on Sunday.
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NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Mike Johnson: “Now, Kelly (McCrimmon), Rasmus (Andersson) was pretty clear about where he wanted to go and where he was willing to sign an extension. There is no extension announced. How does that conversation happen with you guys? Before the trade, now after the trade, how do you proceed down that road if you’re going to?”
Kelly McCrimmon: “Yeah, one of the things that gave us an advantage, Mike, was that we were comfortable doing it without an extension. We did similarly with Noah Hanifin, where we were able to get him under contract. So I guess we take a little bit of risk on by doing it that way.
We’re confident that we’ll be able to make a good impression on Rasmus, but not only with our city or facilities and what they have to offer. But I think the other thing that sometimes gets overlooked a little bit is, players want to win, and they want to be in an organization where there’s commitment to doing that. And we certainly have been able to do that our entire existence. So I think we expect that that’s going to be really important to Rasmus as well.”
The question remains: when will Rasmus Andersson extend in Vegas? Everyone knows he wanted to go there. His agent, Claude Lemieux, likes to play hardball and played a role in this trade. However, it was 35 days before Hanifin was traded to Vegas and when he extended. The expectation is that Rasmus Andersson will re-sign in Vegas.
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However, will it be for the reported seven-year, $63 million ($9 million AAV) deal he was getting from the Boston Bruins, or will it be less in the $7 million – $8 million range on a seven or eight-year deal?
The expectation is that McCrimmon will get it done.
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