Golden Knights Re-Sign Rasmus Andersson to 7-Year Contract Worth $8.5 Million Annually

The Vegas Golden Knights have re-signed defenseman Rasmus Andersson to a seven-year contract with a $8.5 million annual average value (AAV), as per PuckPedia.

Andersson Stays in Sin City, Cashes In With Big Raise

The Golden Knights first acquired the Swedish blueliner from the Calgary Flames this past season in a mid-January blockbuster. Between the Flames and Golden Knights, the 29-year-old posted 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 81 games, and posted six assists in 22 playoff games in the Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.

In 617-career games between the Flames and Golden Knights, he has 64 goals and 214 assists for 278 points and in 49-career playoff games, has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points.

Since being drafted by the Flames in the second round (53rd overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Andersson has blossomed into one of the league’s premier right-handed offensive defenseman who is capable of logging big minutes and producing from the point. Despite some flaws in his actual defensive game, he was one of the most-sought-after unrestricted free agents, so Golden Knights’ general manager Kelly McCrimmon and his staff are undoubtedly thrilled to have retained his services through 2032-33.

His new salary represents quite the raise as he was coming off a six-year deal with a team-friendly $4.55 million AAV that he signed with the Flames in 2020.

The Golden Knights are now $5.125 million over the $104 million salary cap. Teams are allowed to exceed the cap by 10 per cent in the offseason, but must be cap compliant by the day before the regular season starts or by the day they submit their season-opening roster. Expect McCrimmon to make some salary-dump deals to get back under the cap.