NHL EDGE stats: Andersson trade solidifies Golden Knights defense

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we take a look at the Vegas Golden Knights’ outlook after acquiring defenseman Rasmus Andersson.

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The Vegas Golden Knights acquired defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames on Sunday, and his well-rounded advanced metrics should only strengthen their Stanley Cup championship push.

The 29-year-old, who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, ranked among the defenseman leaders in goals (10; tied for eighth), shots on goal (112; tied for ninth) and power-play goals (four; tied for fifth) at the time of the trade. Andersson was having a bounce-back season in terms of points (30 in 48 games; tied for 20th) at the time of the trade after only having 31 in 81 games last season.

At the time of the trade, Andersson was averaging a career-best 0.63 points per game this season; he has also had strong offensive seasons in the past, with his highest totals being 50 points in 82 games during the 2021-22 season (0.61 per game) and 49 points in 79 games (0.62) during the 2022-23 season.

Andersson, who was averaging 24:14 per game (16th in entire NHL) this season at the time of the trade, reunites with former teammate and fellow workhorse defenseman Noah Hanifin, who was acquired by Vegas from Calgary on March 6, 2024; the two frequently played on the same defense pair with the Flames and could end up on the same unit again in Vegas.

Prior to the Andersson trade, Hanifin was second on the Golden Knights in average ice time (23:42 per game) behind Shea Theodore (23:48). Vegas, which has been without veteran defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (hip injury) all season and may not have him back for the postseason, is now equipped for another Stanley Cup run (won its first title in 2023).

Here are three underlying reasons Andersson could boost the Golden Knights’ championship hopes:

1. Shot speed

At the time of the trade, Andersson ranked eighth in the entire NHL in hardest shot (100.26 mph; 99th percentile among defensemen) this season and adds a new dimension to the Golden Knights in this category. He had four shot attempts of at least 95-plus mph this season at the time of the trade, while Vegas, as a team, has not had any such attempts this season.

Andersson’s hardest shot of the NHL’s puck and player tracking era came in 2023-24 (100.89 mph; 96th percentile among defensemen that season). In terms of 80-plus mph shot attempts this season, Andersson ranked seventh in the entire NHL (75) at the time of the trade.

2. Shots by location prowess

Andersson has been a juggernaut in terms of advanced shot metrics this season, ranking among the top five defensemen in the following categories at the time of the trade:

• High-danger shots on goal: 12 (tied for second among D-men behind Jakob Chychrun’s 17)
• High-danger goals: 3 (tied for third among D-men)
• Long-range goals: 4 (tied for fourth among D-men)

Andersson also ranked in the 93rd percentile among defensemen in both midrange shots on goal (23) and long-range shots on goal (49) this season at the time of the trade. While the Golden Knights ranked second in high-danger goals (91) and sixth in high-danger shots on goal (412) at the time of the trade, Andersson should boost Vegas’ midrange game as the team has scored the fourth-fewest midrange goals (35) and had the sixth-fewest midrange shots on goal (361).

Per NHL EDGE IQ, the Golden Knights had the third-highest average Projected Goal Rate (PGR) at 6.13 percent prior to the trade, indicating their offense is generating more high-quality scoring chances compared to most of the League. Vegas has frequently played five forwards on its first power play and ranked fourth in power-play percentage (27.1) this season at the time of the trade and now could have a second power play featuring two high-scoring defensemen in Theodore and Andersson.

3. Defensive play

The Golden Knights have been without top goalie Adin Hill for most of the season because of a lower-body injury, but their starter for the 2023 championship run returned Thursday. Considering Pietrangelo, a two-time Stanley Cup champion (also won with St. Louis Blues in 2019), led Vegas in ice time in each of the past five seasons prior to his long-term injury, it had been a by-committee approach to replacing him.

Now, with Andersson on board and Hill healthy, the Golden Knights have a chance to improve some of their defensive metrics in the second half. Although Vegas ranked highly in penalty kill percentage (81.1; tied for 10th) and 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (51.1; 11th) at the time of the trade, the Golden Knights ranked third-worst in 5-on-5 save percentage (.891) through their first 47 games of the season.

Andersson, a clear upgrade for the Golden Knights, should benefit from the change of scenery moving to an offense that features explosive forwards Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev. The Flames outscored opponents 67-59 with Andersson on the ice this season (plus-8) but were outscored 82-57 with Andersson not on the ice (minus-25) prior to the trade. Andersson’s 90 blocked shots were second on the Flames behind MacKenzie Weegar (100) and tied for 25th in the entire NHL at the time of the trade.

Andersson ranked in the 95th percentile among defensemen in total skating distance (165.27 miles) this season prior to the trade and brings versatility to the Golden Knights considering he ranked highly at his position in skating distance at even strength (132.43; 91st percentile), on the power play (18.40; 93rd percentile) and penalty kill (14.44; 91st percentile).

Per NHL EDGE IQ, the Golden Knights have the second-lowest average PGR against (5.05 percent), indicating their defense is allowing fewer high-quality scoring chances compared to most of the League. But, at the time of the trade, Vegas had struggled to start games this season, allowing the fourth-most first-period goals (51) and allowing the opening goal in 26 of their 47 games.

With the Western Conference featuring other Stanley Cup contenders in the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild, Vegas made this move to address its few weaknesses and is now arguably as complete a team as any in the NHL.