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A quick look at the pieces coming back in the Rasmus Andersson trade
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Photo credit: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 18, 2026, 19:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 18, 2026, 19:51 EST
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After a year of speculation, Rasmus Andersson has been traded.
On Sunday afternoon, the Calgary Flames sent the defenceman, with 50% of his contract retained, to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Zach Whitecloud, defence prospect Abram Wiebe, the Golden Knights’ 2027 first round pick (which is top 10 protected), and a 2028 conditional second-round pick (which turns into a first if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2026).
Andersson will join his former defence partner, Noah Hanifin, as a Golden Knight. Two years ago, the Flames traded Hanifin for Daniil Miromanov, a 2024 third-rounder (Kirill Zarubin) and a 2026 first-rounder. This Andersson trade is a better return for the Flames.
Wiebe is from Mission, British Columbia and has spent four seasons with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Chilliwack Chiefs. The Golden Knights selected the 6’3”, 206 lbs left-shot defenceman with the 209th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He’s the nephew of former NHL’er Keith Brown
A college junior, Wiebe has spent all three seasons with the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks and is teammates with fellow Flames prospects Cade Littler and Cole Reschny, as well as one of the top draft prospects, Keaton Verhoeff. In 24 games this season, Wiebe has three goals and 14 points, slightly off the pace he had last season when he scored four goals and 24 points in 38 games. Wiebe is still un-signed.
In Oct. 2025, DobberProspects writer Alex Wyatt had this to say about the 22-year-old:
“In his third collegiate season, Wiebe sees himself skating with an ‘A’ on his chest, and the extra responsibility for the team could have boosted his confidence on the ice somewhat. He has come out of the gate with a goal and two assists across his first four matchups, and is consistently seeing 20 minutes in ice-time a night.
Wiebe will be a long shot to skate on the Vegas Golden Knights blue line for meaningful minutes, but his development has been on a consistent uptrend for the University of North Dakota. He remains a watchlist, not a roster, and his eventual transition to the NHL will give us more data to see if that becomes necessary to change.”
As for Whitecloud, he’ll likely immediately jump into Andersson’s role. A defensive defenceman, the Brandon, Manitoba native was undrafted and signed with the Golden Knights after two seasons with Bemidji State. 
His career-year came in 2021-22, as he potted eight goals and 19 points in 59 games. The right-shot defenceman has consistently put up double-digit points with a handful of goals. Through 47 games this season, the 29-year-old has two goals and seven points and is a -8.
It’s not impossible to envision a world where Whitecloud is flipped, if not this year, potentially next season or even the year after. He’s in the fourth year of a six-year deal where he has a cap hit of $2.75 million. For now, Whitecloud will slot in as a top four role, likely alongside Andersson’s now former defence partner, Kevin Bahl.
As for the picks, it’s unclear what they’ll turn into, or how much this trade will impact the 2026 first-rounder they received from the Golden Knights for Hanifin back in 2024. Knowing Flames’ general manager Craig Conroy, he’ll find a darn good player with the two picks from this trade. All of this came from drafting and trading Sven Bärtschi, not too shabby. 
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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