Last weekend, it looked like the Boston Bruins were closing in on acquiring Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. By all accounts, the Black and Gold were the leaders in the clubhouse for Andersson, but things broke down. Boston and general manager Don Sweeney were permitted to work out an extension with Andersson, but he was not going agree to an extension before a trade.
That was enough of a red flag for Sweeney to walk away from a potential trade, as the asking price was just way too high for a rental with no extension done. In the end, the other team that was mentioned to be in on the right-shot defenseman was the Vegas Golden Knights. They took the chance on trading for Andersson without an extension in place. You have to figure that they'll get one done before free agency begins on July 1.
What was ironic about Andersson going to Vegas was that the Bruins were on the Golden Knights' schedule Thursday night at the TD Garden. It was going to be epic TV with Andersson playing in the arena where it looked like he was going to be traded to. However, he won't play according to head coach Bruce Cassidy.
Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson won't play against Bruins on Thursday night
According to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, Andersson will not be in the lineup for the Golden Knights on Thursday night in Boston. Cassidy said that his new blueliner is dealing with visa issues. He is unsure if he'll play on Friday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Canada.
Let's be honest, it is not surprising that Andersson would not be in Boston for this game. Visa issues can be tricky, but for the record, Zach Whitecloud, part of the package that went back to Calgary, has already played in two games with the Flames since the deal. Andersson didn't play in the Golden Knights' first game following the trade. So Andersson, not surprisingly, will not play for Vegas in Boston. Can't say many people should be surprised by the way things went down. If there is someone who knows how Andersson would have been received for 60 minutes with the fans, it is Cassidy.