The Rasmus Andersson era is officially over in Calgary. It was announced today that the Calgary Flames sent Andersson (and kept 50% of his contract) to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick, and Abram Wiebe.
Andersson to Vegas with 50 percent retention
Yield:
White cloud
2027 1st
2027 2nd, will be a first if Vegas wins the Cup this year
Abram Weibe, a defenseman at UND— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 18, 2026
This marks the second time in the last two years that the Flames and Golden Knights have made a deal for a defenseman. And it seemed clear from day one that this would be the end game.
It marks the end of an era in Calgary, so let’s take a look at how the Flames did with this deal.
The return
We’ll start with the choices because that would always be the most important part of any deal. The Flames already own the Golden Knights’ first-round pick for this season. Now they will also own their first round pick next year. The choice is protected in the top ten. The Flames also get a second-round pick in 2027, which could turn into another first-round pick in 2028 if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup this season.
Zach Whitecloud, like Andersson, is a right-handed shooting defenseman. He is 29 years old and has three years left on his contract with an AAV of $2.75 million. He was solid in a limited role in Vegas. Vegas likely moved him to make cap space work and free up a roster spot for Andersson. The Flames will likely use Whitecloud in a bottom-pairing role. He will likely be a placeholder until Zayne Parekh is ready to take on top-four duties.
There isn’t much on Abram Wiebe at the moment. He is a defenseman who plays with fellow Flames prospect Cole Reschny at the University of North Dakota. The Golden Knights drafted Wiebe in the 7th round of the 2022 NHL Draft. He has 14 points through 24 games this year. Wiebe will be a project and likely a long shot to make the NHL, but he is nevertheless another prospect in the pipeline.
Reconstruction has started again
If this move doesn’t scream rebuilding, I’m not sure what does. Andersson was by far the Flames’ best defenseman this season. He dragged them into battle every night and played the best hockey of his career.
His departure obviously leaves a big hole on the right side. But with Parekh on the way and Hunter Brzustewicz already playing minutes at the NHL level, it didn’t make any sense for the Flames to tie Andersson to a big deal until his late 30s.
The Flames provided a solid return. It will also finally put an end to the Andersson transaction noise we’ve been hearing since April last year.
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