Kelly McCrimmon didn’t hide the motivation behind the Vegas Golden Knights’ blockbuster trade for Rasmus Andersson. The general manager said Monday that the 29-year-old defenseman brings exactly what the team needs: playmaking ability.
“I think he’s really going to add to our hockey club,” McCrimmon said before the Knights faced the Philadelphia Flyers at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights acquired Andersson from the Calgary Flames on Sunday in exchange for defenseman Zach Whitecloud, prospect Abram Wiebe, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick that can become a first if Vegas wins the Stanley Cup. Andersson, in the final year of a six-year, $27.3 million deal, has yet to join the team due to immigration processing. McCrimmon did not provide a timeline for his arrival, but the Knights begin a four-game road trip Thursday in Boston.
“He’s going to help our team speed by being able to move the puck, transport the puck, even carrying it and passing it,” McCrimmon said. “He can make plays.”
Andersson averaged a career-high 24:14 of ice time with Calgary, posting 30 points and 10 goals — tied for eighth among NHL defensemen. In Vegas, his role will shift. He won’t log power-play minutes due to the Knights’ five-forward unit, and Shea Theodore will handle top defensive assignments. Instead, Andersson will focus on five-on-five and penalty-kill situations, similar to the role Whitecloud filled.
“I think Rasmus Andersson can do all that defensively,” McCrimmon said.
The Knights have not yet discussed a contract extension with Andersson’s agent, Claude Lemieux, but McCrimmon made clear the team’s intention to keep him long-term.
“We’re hopeful to retain him,” McCrimmon said. “That was part of the motivation to trade for the player, but we haven’t had those discussions as of yet.”
Vegas entered Monday on a season-high seven-game winning streak after losing eight of nine. The timing of the deal, McCrimmon said, was not a reaction to recent results. “We’re trading for this player for the rest of the season,” he said. “It’s a lot longer of a view.”
The interest in Andersson dates to the offseason, and reports indicated he preferred Vegas from the start. McCrimmon sees Andersson as a player who can replicate some of the playmaking elements lost when Alex Pietrangelo underwent hip surgery.
“(Pietrangelo), for me, was so good at that,” McCrimmon said. “He was strong in so many areas, but that was one of the things that when you get to playoff games, when you get to playing tough opponents, you need playmakers, and I think we’ve added one in Rasmus Andersson. (I) just really feel it gives us a strong defense.”
