The Vegas Golden Knights have a top-heavy roster, but it's a good enough team to contend for big victories at the end of the season.
That's what could make the next few months crucial. Ahead of the NHL trade deadline in early March, Vegas could look to upgrade its talented roster even more.
One name that's been linked to the Golden Knights already: Rasmus Andersson.
Andersson is a star defenseman for the Calgary Flames. The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun writes that his best match is a trade to Vegas.
In the final year of his current contract with a cap hit of $4.55 million, Andersson ranks No. 1 on The Athletic's trade big board.
"There’s always a chance that the Flames re-sign the pending UFA, top-four right-handed defenseman," LeBrun writes. "But it’s not the likeliest outcome at this point."
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These teams almost linked up on this trade in June, LeBrun adds.
"The Flames know that in a perfect world, they trade Andersson with an agreement that he’ll sign an extension with his new team, to augment the trade return," LeBrun writes. "Andersson was willing to extend with Vegas in the summer as part of a potential trade. Let’s see both clubs revisit this scenario then."
The tricky part is that the pieces believed to be a part of the summer trade discussions are no longer in Vegas.
But if the Golden Knights really want Andersson, they should be able to make it happen. It'll just be a matter of when, and for how much.
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