The Vegas Golden Knights made a big acquisition on Sunday, trading for defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon made a massive move, but that's par for the course for one of the NHL's most successful GMs.
If you’ve been paying attention to the Vegas Golden Knights since their inaugural season in 2017-18, you have to be impressed with the performance of GM Kelly McCrimmon.
Year-in and year-out, McCrimmon and the Golden Knights find ways to pull off major trade acquisitions – and that included a trade on Sunday that sent Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson to Las Vegas.
The price McCrimmon paid for Andersson was steep – defenseman Zach Whitecloud, a top-10-protected first-round pick in 2027, a second-rounder in 2028 that can become a first if Vegas win the Stanley Cup this season, and 22-year-old defenseman Abram Wiebe.
However, once again, the Golden Knights were able to step to the plate and knock it out of the park with a blockbuster trade.
This is a Golden Knights team that, in 2019, pulled off a stunning blockbuster when they acquired star right winger Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators.
This is a team that, in 2024, acquired star center Tomas Hertl from the San Jose Sharks. In the same season, they landed defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Flames.
Not to mention this team plucked superstar center Jack Eichel away from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021. And not long ago, they acquired Toronto Maple Leafs superstar right winger Mitch Marner last summer.
That is just a stunning run of trade success that rivals any other executive in the league. And McCrimmon deserves credit for taking advantage of his trade capital every year, and for setting the standard for his profession.
Kelly McCrimmon (Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images)At this stage, it’s a small wonder that people are looking at a magic act in Vegas that’s worthy of appearing in a casino on the Vegas Strip.
McCrimmon is a wizard when it comes to shaking things up and constantly looking for ways to find high-impact players. The Golden Knights continue to benefit from that relentless pursuit of difference-makers.
Andersson is now the latest shiny new toy in Nevada, but does anyone believe this will be the last major trade McCrimmon makes?
The Golden Knights always seem to get their man, and Andersson is the latest example of McCrimmon moving heaven and earth to outbid other teams.
In Andersson’s case, there was a report on Saturday from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggesting the Boston Bruins were a front-runner to acquire Andersson, but that didn’t materialize.
Instead, the Golden Knights went about their business, and their business is taking great players away from other teams.
Consistently, McCrimmon’s team always seems to get their man. And now that Andersson is on board, the Golden Knights have one of the best defense corps and best teams in the league.
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