I wonder if the Flames can circle back and use their cap space to extract another asset out of Vegas to tilt this even more to their advantage? Take Brett Howden off their hands for future considerations?
Could Vegas trade Mark Stone ($9.5) and a second rounder to Calgary for Mark Stone with 50% retention?
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When Vegas traded for Andersson on Jan. 18, the assumption was that it wouldn’t be that long before he was signed to an extension, like when Vegas traded for Noah Hanifin two years ago.
But nearly two months after the Andersson trade, he still hasn’t signed an extension.
Here’s what I believe is probably happening: the Golden Knights can’t actually extend him at the moment, per CBA rules. My understanding of the situation is that they currently only have $3.2 million in projected cap space for next season, which includes Alex Pietrangelo’s $8.8 million cap hit. Vegas has the lowest 2026-27 projected cap space available currently among all 32 teams. And clearly an Andersson extension will cost more than $3.2 million per year.
But it’s not a big deal. Eventually, Vegas will obviously be able to put Pietrangelo back on LTIR for next season and, on July 1, the salary cap officially jumps in a big way. Even before then, the Golden Knights could move money out after the season, in May or June, depending on how long they play this spring.
The point is, they will eventually be able to extend Andersson, but they can’t do it right now. That is my understanding of the CBA rules.
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Could Vegas trade Mark Stone ($9.5) and a second rounder to Calgary for Mark Stone with 50% retention?
If you trade a player, you can't reacquire the same player in a retained salary transaction for one calendar year thereafter. This was in section 50.5(e)(iii), paragraph (C), of the old CBA. I'm not sure if the numbering is the same in the current CBA (which I don't have handy), but I believe the same restriction has been kept in place.
Also, for what it's worth, if you trade away a player and retain salary on his contract, you can't reacquire him for one calendar year, unless his contract expires in the meantime and the retention ends.
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Last edited by Jay Random; 03-14-2026 at 09:34 PM.
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honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if the Flames picked up his contract for a sweetener of some sort like their 2nd next year for example. That contract is likely insured so we could use it to hit the floor without needing to pay him.
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honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if the Flames picked up his contract for a sweetener of some sort like their 2nd next year for example. That contract is likely insured so we could use it to hit the floor without needing to pay him.
Do you mean Pietrangelo's contract? I don't have an Athletic subscription and can't read the article.
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I was at the Vegas game last night. Rasmus looked more comfortable and scored. His better play is to not sign with Vegas and see what he gets out of the market.
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If the flames acquired Pietrangelo, how would his salary work in terms of income? Would he be under Alberta taxes and take home less money during that final year compared to just staying under contract with Vegas? Or would he make the same money either way?
Maybe Andersson wants to see what the market is. Vegas has an aging core. If you commit to them, you may be committing to another deadline trade
He just left a team that went through the contending to rebuilding phase. The Knights are on a crash course for the same and it's just a matter of when. I do believe they have possibly up to three years left to try and contend given a lot of their core players are around 28-30 (Eichel, Marner, Hanafin, Dorofeyev, Theodore, etc). Stone is going to be year to year so it remains to be seen if they will continue to vie for first in the division or Wildcard. If I was him, the Sharks would be a more attractive destination because rather than just trying to keep the walls from caving in, they appear on the verge of something bigger and better.
If I was Andersson, I’d go to market. Even if he ends up going back to Vegas, he’s gotten fortunate with the timing of his free agency.
He’s arguably the best UFA dman this year. He’s the only big name under 30. Big cap increase. With Schwartz signing early, I’d put money that Andersson will get the next richest contract UFA contract this offseason.
I hate that those fans of that team get to call Ras their own and enjoy the stare down. Its completely irrational but it bothers me
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