It has been a rather quiet season for the rumour mill for the Calgary Flames when you think about how loud it was every day a season ago. Well, it seems to be getting just a little bit louder as of late. There have been rumours swirling for a little while now in regards to Rasmus Andersson’s future with the Flames, the rear-guard will be a free agent in the summer of 2026, and with his cap hit being at a relatively low $4.55M, he will be a very attractive piece to any team looking for help on the blue line.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period came out today and mentioned that Andersson would welcome a trade out of Calgary if it came to that point.
"I still believe he would be open to a move and would welcome one" – @TheFourthPeriod on #Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.
— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) January 10, 2025
Full conversation with @hustlerama from today's show: https://t.co/rSJvauSzrL pic.twitter.com/HUBxn38cBb
A move the Flames should make
I think everyone in Calgary and all of those who are Flames fans love Andersson both as a player and a person. A second-round pick back in 2015, Andersson has developed into a key top-four defencemen for the team. He has become a leader for the team, and is universally loved by the fanbase.
Parting with Andersson would be extremely difficult given how important of a player he is and how hard it can be to replace a guy like him in the locker room. However, with the number of defencemen the Flames have in the pipeline and with what they have in the prospect pool currently, it makes much more sense to move Andersson for major assets as opposed to signing him to a long-term contract that will kick in once he’s 30 years old.
Andersson will command a lot on the trade market, and for a team like the Flames that need as many high-end assets as they possibly can, it would be huge for the organization’s future. Elias Lindholm was able to bring in a huge package for the Flames that is hopefully going to be paying dividends for a long time, I can only imagine the haul for Andersson being equal to or better than what they received for Lindholm. That is assuming, of course, they don’t wait too long to make the move.
The Flames can not afford to wait too long
The Flames will receive more for Andersson on the trade market if they choose to move him sooner as opposed to later. They waited too long when they traded Noah Hanifin a season ago and they received pennies on the dollar for what they should have.
They have the chance to move Andersson a year and a half before he is set to hit the free agent market. Moreover teams will not only pay a premium for a right-handed shooting defencemen, but they will pay a premium to get that player for more than just one season before they have to re-sign him.
It is a no-brainer, if Andersson is open to a move and the Flames come to the point where they are comfortable making that move, it should be done.
