Rasmus Andersson commanded all the noise during his final days with the Calgary Flames. Numerous questions surrounded his future, and those rumors were finally put to rest when he was moved to the Vegas Golden Knights in a blockbuster trade in January 2026.
However, his current contract is at the cusp of expiry, and with the Golden Knights yet to offer him an extension, Andersson’s future has once again surfaced as a point of discussion.
Why Rasmus Andersson Is Unlikely to Join the Ottawa Senators?
The Flames’ 2025-26 campaign has been so utterly disappointing that it became clear from the outset of the season that Calgary would be sellers at the deadline. The team has dealt away franchise cornerstones like Andersson and Nazem Kadri to undertake a hard reset and come back stronger next season.
Andersson, one of the Flames’ foremost trade assets, was traded to the Golden Knights on Jan. 18, 2026, amid much speculation about his future. The 29-year-old defenseman attracted the widespread attention of teams across the league, thanks to his leadership skills and reliability.
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However, he ultimately chose the Golden Knights and is reportedly glad to be part of a competitive team like Vegas. “You look at this lineup, and this is a real contender. And that’s what I wanted to go to,” the blueliner said.
However, his six-year, $27.3 million contract is about to expire soon, and GM Kelly McCrimmon has yet to hand him an extension. The delay in granting Andersson an extension is reportedly due to cap space constraints.
If things continue at this rate, the 29-year-old blueliner will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Senators are one team that has consistently been interested in the defenseman, but the chances of landing him are slim.
Writing for the Ottawa Citizen, Bruce Garrioch has highlighted that the possibility of Andersson’s return to Canada seems bleak at the moment. Garrioch explained that the odds of the defenseman joining the ranks of the Sens are low as a UFA, especially because there is reason to believe that Andersson would not have waived his no-movement clause to come to Ottawa from the Flames.
“Rasmus Andersson…leads the list, but we’re led to believe he wouldn’t waive his no-move clause to come here from the Flames, so why would he sign here as a UFA? Plus, the Golden Knights are expected to keep him,” Garrioch wrote.
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Moreover, while the 29-year-old’s performance has been under scrutiny since joining the Knights, a contract extension might be in the works for him. At the end of the day, Andersson has a strong NHL record, and McCrimmon will not be wrong to give the blueliner more opportunities to prove his worth.
Even if Andersson does not get a contract extension to stay with the Golden Knights, he will have plenty of destinations to choose from during free agency, notwithstanding the Senators.
