The Vegas Golden Knights made one of the offseason's biggest trades in landing Rasmus Andersson, and with the deal official, attention has shifted to what comes next for the Swedish defenseman.

Speculation about Andersson's next contract has continued since the trade with the Calgary Flames went through, and NHL insider Darren Dreger has only added fuel to it. He suggested the player and team may already have an informal agreement in place. Dreger shared his insight while speaking on the Barn Burner podcast.

"The assumption was by other managers...other agents...the belief is there was at least a handshake agreement that there would be something and is something done," said Dreger.

Jacob Walters of Vegas Hockey Knight also highlighted, Dreger also discussed the contract amount.

"The numbers were speculated somewhere in the vicinity of 8.5 [million AAV], along those lines," Dreger said on @FNBarnBurner YouTube short.

Later, NHL Rumour Report shared his comments on X, which drew more attention to Andersson's contract just a few days before free agency starts.

Dreger said that this does not mean Rasmus Andersson has already signed a new deal. But he said many NHL executives and agents believe the main parts of a deal may already be in place.

If that league belief proves accurate, the announcement could simply be waiting until the appropriate time.

Reports continue to point toward a long-term extension

The belief that Rasmus Andersson will stay in Vegas is not only based on Dreger's comments. In its offseason free-agent outlook, Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas reported that the Golden Knights and Andersson agreed on the basic terms of a contract a few months ago.

The report also said the new deal could be completed soon. It predicted a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million.

At the same time, Vegas Hockey Knight said that an $8.5 million salary could split the fanbase. Andersson did not finish the season strongly, especially during the Stanley Cup Final, as per Jacob Walters.

Because of that, some fans are not sure if he deserves that much money. The report also noted that Andersson will turn 30 in October.

Even with those concerns, Vegas gave up important assets to get Andersson. Because of that, a long-term contract looks like the next step. The team clearly sees him as an important part of its defense, and several reports say both sides want the same result.

Free agency is about to start, so everyone will be watching to see if the reported handshake agreement becomes an official contract.

Do you think the Golden Knights will announce Rasmus Andersson's new deal before free agency begins? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Rudra Dubey