‘I’ve enjoyed being here’: Knights offseason focus shifts to Andersson

You won’t find a harsher critic of Rasmus Andersson than Rasmus Andersson himself.

Yes, that includes online nitpickers. There have been plenty since the Vegas Golden Knights traded for him.

Look no further than the giveaway he had in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final that launched the Carolina Hurricanes’ third-period comeback that eventually tied the series.

“I think about Game 2 quite a bit, what I could have done better personally,” Andersson said two days after the Knights lost the Cup Final.

None of what happened changed how the Knights view Andersson — from a standpoint of how much they gave up to acquire him, to how elite of a talent they view him.

A wild year

Unless there’s a seismic shift between now and 9 a.m. on Wednesday when free agency opens, Andersson will be back with the Knights next season. There will be a contract ready for him with an average annual value between $8 million and $9 million.

But there’s no overlooking how bizarre the past five months for the 29-year-old defenseman have been.

The time without his family since the Jan. 18 trade have been well-documented. Then getting on a plane to Italy and representing Sweden in the Winter Olympics soon after.

Playing for his third coach in one season. Making the deepest playoff run he’s ever had — playing in the Cup Final days after his agent and longtime friend Claude Lemieux died May 28— it was a whirlwind for Andersson.

“It’s probably the craziest year I’ve ever been a part of,” he said.

The roller-coaster ride began a year ago when Andersson’s name started surfacing in trade rumors. The Calgary Flames moved on from the defenseman they drafted in 2015 on Jan. 18. The return was defenseman Zach Whitecloud, prospect Abram Wiebe, this year’s first-round pick and next year’s second-round selection.

Andersson said he played “pretty bad” in the first 12 games after the Olympics. It was a glaring on-ice adjustment.

“Here, it’s like we have our first (power play) unit with them being so good. In Calgary, you play more power play time, you get into the game a little quicker, easier,” Andersson said. “I played first PK in Calgary and all of that stuff. So, it took some adjustment, but once I found my rhythm the last 15 games of the regular season, I thought I played extremely well.”

Rounded into form

Andersson had six assists in the playoffs, but he felt the first three rounds, “I think I defended the best I’ve done in my career, and then mentally I was a little off during the finals after what happened, but there’s just no excuse. I know next time I’m in a Final, I need to be better.”

General manager Kelly McCrimmon wouldn’t make the kind of investment in Andersson if he wasn’t planning on re-signing him.

Lemieux’s passing doesn’t change much in terms of contract handling, McCrimmon said. Andersson said he is currently being represented by Daniel Giger at 4Sports Hockey.

“I think he’s a really good NHL defenseman. We wanted to acquire him for a long time,” McCrimmon said. “I think he’s going to be, like a lot of players that come here – and I can give you a list – once you’re settled in, once you’ve got your house, once you’re with an organization a little bit longer, it’s a little bit easier to get to the game that you have.”

On to free agency

There’s still a roster that needs to be filled out. The Knights currently have $99.375 million tied up to nine forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders.

Alex Pietrangelo going on season-ending long-term injured reserve will give them $13.425 million in cap space. That space will now focus solely on Andersson following the trade of Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers.

The Knights have eight unrestricted free agents, including Andersson, to address before free agency opens. Those players would love to come back to a team that was two wins away from a Stanley Cup. Andersson may get among the first priority.

“I’ve loved everything about Vegas, and I’ve really enjoyed being here,” Andersson said. “I would love to come back and I would love to work with Kelly and find a solution to be back here. It would be awesome.

“We were this close to winning and that’s all I wanted when I was in Calgary, was to have a chance to win. I would love to come back. I’ve just really enjoyed being here.”