Vegas Golden Knights have struggled to get enough production from Rasmus Andersson since coming over from the Calgary Flames. With the Flames reportedly open to moving players, Blake Coleman—an experienced two-way forward with 20 goals and 15 assists this past
The Vegas Golden Knights didn’t just stumble in the postseason—they watched opportunities get squandered by thin production. Since Rasmus Andersson came over from the Calgary Flames, the results haven’t matched the promise. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Andersson produced just four assists.
Four.
That number matters because the playoffs don’t forgive passengers. It takes every line, every shift, every role. When the goal is lifting the Stanley Cup, Vegas needs players who can be counted on in full-team moments—especially those who can carry the harder work when it’s not flashy.
That’s why the idea of doing more business with the Flames has started to sound less like a stunt and more like a plan. One name keeps landing on the same page: Blake Coleman.
Coleman’s case is hard to dismiss. This past season with Calgary, he scored 20 goals and added 15 assists. He was also productive in the month that often decides playoff trajectories, finishing April with three goals and two assists. Those aren’t just numbers—they’re the kind of stretch that turns “good player” into “player you want when it matters.”.
The question for Vegas is whether that reliability comes at a price they can actually pay.
Next season would be the last year of Coleman’s current contract with the Calgary Flames. He’s owed $4.9 million. a figure that could work in Vegas’s favor—if the Golden Knights can negotiate well and if Calgary chooses to retain neither Pavel Dorofeyev nor Andersson. But there’s a catch that can quietly derail even the best fit: Coleman has a 10-team no-trade clause. That limits where he can be sent. and it could turn a trade conversation into a short list with no easy workarounds.
Still, Vegas has shown it values veteran presence. General manager Kelly McCrimmon has leaned on experience before, and Coleman fits that profile. The argument isn’t just that he’s been around. It’s that he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Over four postseason appearances, Coleman has 12 goals and 19 assists—production tied to the same stage Vegas is chasing.
That’s the “why.” The “why not” is also straightforward.
The Golden Knights are going to lose plenty of key pieces on their penalty kill in the offseason. Colton Sissons and Reilly Smith are both unrestricted free agents. For that reason alone, Coleman’s track record on special teams is intriguing. He has four short-handed goals. and the penalty kill is the kind of unit where a two-way player can swing momentum without needing to dominate even-strength play.
But Coleman is 34 years old. Adding him means adding an aging body to the roster, and the bill always comes due in the NHL. Eventually, you need better—and cheaper—ways to fill those roles. In that framing, Braeden Bowman and Trevor Connelly are presented as alternatives to aging players.
So the decision becomes less about whether Coleman is talented enough, and more about whether the timing works. Vegas could ask what it would cost to bring him in, even if it’s just for insurance as the roster gets reshaped.
Because in a league where every playoff game tightens the margin, sometimes the best “crazy” move is the one that actually addresses the specific weakness in front of you—before it turns into a problem you can’t fix by April.
For now, the Golden Knights’ offseason will be a test of how aggressive they’re willing to be and what kind of risk McCrimmon is prepared to take—especially when a 10-team no-trade clause can decide whether a “proven winner” becomes a target or stays only a possibility.
Vegas Golden Knights Blake Coleman Calgary Flames Rasmus Andersson Zach Whitecloud Kelly McCrimmon Tomas Hertl Shea Theodore Colton Sissons Reilly Smith penalty kill Stanley Cup playoffs no-trade clause