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 Kr55
Messages: 12880
Registered: May 2002
Location: Edmonton
6 Cups
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| Adam wrote on Mon, 19 January 2026 11:28 |
| Jay wrote on Mon, 19 January 2026 09:48 |
| smyth260 wrote on Sun, 18 January 2026 19:30 |
From Vegas Twitter.
OFFICIAL: The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 conditional first-round pick, a 2028 conditional second-round pick, and prospect Abram Wiebe.
Calgary will retain 50% on the contract.
Vegas management continues to show their skill. Always making their team better and making room for big fish every year, without any excuses.
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They have massive advantages over every other team in the league and they are not afraid to leverage them.
Every player in free agency wants to go there so it's easy to fill needs. They have great weather, no tax and a city that is a destination for the vast majority of young athletes. They are on every players list of teams they will accept a trade to. Not to mention being darlings of the NHL due to their market and being allowed to bend the rules when other teams just don't get the same leniency.
Skill? Honestly I think you could put a monkey in that position and he would probably be pretty successful. I'm far more impressed with what someone like Cheveldayov has done in Winnipeg (the last month or so notwithstanding). Putting a competitive team on the ice in that market and not based on finished last a bunch of years in a row is a different level than doing it in Vegas.
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I think that it IS skill that allows the Knights to be in on player after player after player that's available. They do have some advantages when it comes to signings with a no-state-tax state, but with trades, they have to find a deal that's compelling for the other team and they have to make the cap numbers work.
On this deal, they have improved their defence (I think Andersson - much as I dislike him - is better than Whitecloud) and at the same time LOWERED their overall cap hit. That's a good day's work for a GM.
It's painful to me that the Panthers, Lightning and Knights have managed to acquire so many impact players the last few years and in almost all of these deals, the Oilers aren't even mentioned. It's like our own management just figures we can't possibly afford it so they don't even try. What I wouldn't give to be the team landing this year's Brad Marchand at the trade deadline...
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They definitely know how to keep some assets and cap space available to make these moves. We have been masters of maxing out our cap use, and doing it in very stupid wasteful ways to always make our deadlines extremely difficult. We did it yet again this season.
Think the reason other teams backed out on Andersson is because his camp said they don't want to commit long term to any team. Vegas seems super confident that the still get it done, or they got some assurances behind the scenes. The long term thing is definitely the unfair advantage certain teams have over others because these guys are looking at the many millions more they get to put in their bank accounts instead of hand over to a government. Wish there was some way to balance that out with a cap adjustment. Doesn't seem like that is close to happening though.
"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
- Lowe, 2013
"Next year I would forecast as another developmental year"
- MacT, 2015
5 x $5,000,000
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