- Rasmus Andersson re-signs with Vegas on a seven-year, $59.5 million contract
- The deal carries an $8.5 million cap hit and runs through 2032-33
- Read below for how the top free agent on the board never hit the open market
Vegas wasn’t about to let its big deadline swing walk for nothing.
The Golden Knights re-signed defenseman Rasmus Andersson to a seven-year, $59.5 million contract on Wednesday, an $8.5 million cap hit that keeps him in gold through 2032-33. PuckPedia reported the terms first.
Andersson walked into July 1 as the best unrestricted free agent available. He never got there. Rather than test the open market, the 29-year-old Swede stayed put in the desert.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed the numbers once the deal came together:
Getting him in the first place cost plenty. Vegas sent Zach Whitecloud, prospect Abram Wiebe, a 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2028 second to Calgary back on January 18. The Flames retained half of Andersson’s salary for the stretch run.
That bet mostly worked out. Andersson piled up 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) across 81 games split between the Flames and Golden Knights, then chipped in six assists in 22 playoff games as Vegas ran all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to Carolina.
The scouting report on him runs hot and cold. JFresh broke down what Vegas is paying for:
He joins a blue line Vegas keeps reshaping this summer. The Golden Knights re-signed Jeremy Lauzon to a six-year deal a day earlier, and the right-shot Andersson now settles in as a top-pair option who logs heavy minutes and quarterbacks the power play.
Two wins short of a Cup in June, the Golden Knights just made their first big move toward getting back there.
