The Rasmus Andersson era is officially over in Calgary. It was announced today that the Calgary Flames sent Andersson (and retained 50% of his contract) to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 1st round pick, a conditional 2027 2nd round pick, and Abram Wiebe.
Andersson to Vegas with 50 per cent retained
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 18, 2026
Return:
Whitecloud
2027 1st
2027 2nd, becomes a first if Vegas wins Cup this year
Abram Weibe, a defenceman at UND
This is the second time in the last two years that the Flames and Golden Knights have struck a deal for a defenceman. And it seemed clear from day one that this would be the endgame.
It marks the end of an era in Calgary, so let’s take a look at how the Flames did in this deal.
The return
We’ll start with the picks, because that was always going to be the main 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 pick will be top-ten protected. The Flames also receive a second-round pick in 2027 that 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 defenceman. He is 29 years old and has three years left on his contract with an AAV of $2.75M. He has been solid in a limited role in Vegas. Vegas likely moved him to make the cap space work and to open up a roster spot for Andersson. The Flames will probably use Whitecloud in a bottom-pairing role. He will probably be a placeholder until Zayne Parekh is ready to take on top-four duties.
There is not much on Abram Wiebe right now. He is a defenceman playing 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 in 24 games this year. Wiebe is going to be a project and probably a long shot to make the NHL, but he is another prospect in the pipeline, nonetheless.
The rebuild has begun, again
If this move doesn’t scream rebuild, then I am not sure what does. Andersson was by far and away the Flames’ best defenceman this season. He was dragging them into the fight every night and was playing the best hockey of his career.
His departure obviously creates a big hole on the right side. However, with Parekh coming and Hunter Brzustewicz already playing minutes at the NHL level, it made zero sense for the Flames to lock up Andersson to a big deal until his late thirties.
The Flames brought in a solid return. Also, it will finally put an end to the noise of an Andersson trade that we have been hearing since last April.
