A new report has connected Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson to a potential offseason blockbuster trade. Reports over the last several weeks have indicated the Calgary Flames are <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/calgary-flames/calgary-flames-top-defenseman-reportedly-on-the-trade-block-after-asking-for-a-change-of-scenery' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>exploring trade offers for star defenseman</a> Rasmus Andersson. With the market for defensemen thinning rapidly as players re-sign or are traded Andersson has now become the top right-handed option for many teams. This evening, a report from Pierre LeBrun has linked Andersson in a possible move to the Vegas Golden Knights. <h3>Rasmus Andersson Linked To Defense Needy Golden Knights</h3> In LeBrun's report, he reveals that Andersson only has interest in being traded to the Golden Knights. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/miketgould/status/1939743460107714768'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> While Andersson does not have a no trade clause he is on an expiring contract and would fetch more in a trade if he re-signs with the new club. As a result, the Golden Knights have become the favorite to land Andersson. The 28-year-old right-shot top-four Calgary Flames defenseman doesn't have a full no-trade clause (he has a modified one), but the 2026 unrestricted free agent's hammer is that he controls which team he would be interested in extending with as part of a trade-and-sign scenario. And as of Monday, the team that tops his list, league sources told The Athletic, is the Vegas Golden Knights. In addition, the Golden Knights lost a pair of major pieces of their defensive group this week. First, Nic Hague was traded and then signed an extension with the Nashville Predators. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/friedgehnic/status/1939535493873475794'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> Then, tonight the Golden Knights announced that Alex Pietrangelo was stepping away from the game to focus on recovery from a serious injury. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/goldenknights/status/1939841649754116528'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> With these two losses, the Golden Knights are in desperate need of help on defense and could turn to Andersson as their number one solution. Over the next several days, all eyes will be on GM Craig Conroy to see if he is willing to deal Andersson to a conference rival or if he holds firm letting Andersson play out the final season of his deal.