After months of speculation, rumours, and extension talks, the Rasmus Andersson trade finally happened last night. Despite a ton of smoke around a potential move to the Boston Bruins, Andersson ended up landing in Vegas, the reported front-runner dating back to last summer.
This was no doubt a complicated trade to pull off, given that Andersson is a pending UFA, so how did Craig Conroy and the Flames do? Let’s break it down.
The return
First off, let’s go over the final trade details, and what came back to Calgary for Andersson. Details are courtesy of PuckPedia.com.
| To Calgary | To Vegas |
|---|---|
| D Zach Whitecloud | D Rasmus Andersson (50% retained) |
| D Abram Wiebe | |
| 2027 1st round pick (top-10 protected) | |
| Conditional 2028 2nd round pick* |
*Upgrades to a 2028 1st round pick if Vegas wins the Stanley Cup in 2025-26.
All in all, the Flames ended up getting four total pieces for Andersson and retained 50% of his contract. The trade also has a pretty major condition attached to it as well, as the Flames will get another first-round pick from Vegas if they win the Stanley Cup this year. For context, Vegas is currently sitting with the fourth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup this season.
How did the Flames do?
As mentioned off the top, this was a complicated trade to make given Andersson will be a UFA in a few months. The Flames simply waited way too long to make this move, and it ended up costing them as Andersson was able to use his leverage to force his way to Vegas. In the end, that certainly impacted the return and left the Flames with less than they could’ve received last year, or in the summer.
More draft picks are always a good thing
With that said, there are still some good pieces coming back to Calgary in this deal. Getting yet another first-round pick is the big win for Conroy in this trade. The Flames are now slated to make two selections in the first round for four straight drafts from 2024 to 2027. With how well Conroy has drafted in recent years, even a late first-round pick holds a ton of value for a retooling team like Calgary. Let’s not forget that both Matvei Gridin and Cullen Potter were late first-round picks under Conroy.
Then there’s the 2028 2nd, which could become another first-round pick. Obviously, Vegas going all the way and winning the Stanley Cup in 2026 would require a lot going right (they have a 1/10 chance at winning, according to most sportsbooks right now), but it’s nice to have the potential for even more value in this trade. If they do win the cup, getting a pair of first-round picks would make this trade a clear homerun.
When Vegas was discussed as the front-runner back in the Summer, most assumed they would only be willing to part with a 2nd round pick in the deal, so getting one and maybe even two firsts is good haul for Conroy.
A lack of young talent hurts
There are, however, a few drawbacks to a pick’s heavy return. First off, it requires you to nail the draft picks. If the players you end up selecting never materialize, you’re left with almost nothing in return for Andersson. Secondly, Vegas’ picks are almost certainly going to be late picks in whichever rounds they fall in. Getting a first-round pick from a team like Boston would’ve carried a lot more value, given there’s a good chance it falls in the middle of the first round.
It also hurts not getting any prospects or young NHL players in the return. Some other rumours had the Flames getting Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten, or Matthew Poitras and Mason Lohrei. Adding a Vegas prospect like Jakob Ihs-Wozniak to this deal would’ve made a huge difference. Again, draft picks are great, but they’re also lottery tickets that could turn into nothing. By getting a mostly draft-pick-heavy return, you’re running the risk that you end up with almost nothing of value for Andersson if the picks don’t work out.
Zach Whitecloud is the wild card
The biggest wildcard in this trade return is Zach Whitecloud. On the surface, acquiring a 29 year old defencemen who is virtually the same age as Andersson doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Whitecloud is also a right shot, meaning the Flames have yet to fix their logjam on defence.
However, if the Flames make the smart move and flip Whitecloud before he becomes a UFA in 2027, it would make this return for Andersson look a whole lot better. Whitecloud could no doubt fetch a great return given his reputation as a gritty cup-winning defenceman, and his bargain contract. Could a return similar to what Luke Schenn got last year (a 2nd and a 4th) be in the cards?
Time will tell how the Flames handle Whitecloud’s future, but the bottom line is that he serves little to no purpose to Calgary long-term. If Conroy is serious about getting younger, moving the 29 year old for more draft picks would be a great call.
Tagging on one or two more draft picks to the Andersson return would take the overall trade from just okay to a big win for Conroy and the Flames.
Handing out a final grade
Overall, this return was a decent albeit unspectacular one for Calgary. It’s certainly disappointing not to get a blue-chip prospect back in the return, and handing yet another top-four defenceman to Vegas is rather annoying, but it’s easy to forget Andersson is 29 years old and is a year removed from a terrible 2024-25 season. There’s a very good chance he takes a step back in his 30’s, and not having him locked up until he’s 38 is a big win for the Flames.
You probably would’ve liked a little more value, given you retained 50%, Vegas actually cleared cap space in this deal, and they will almost certainly be signing Andersson long-term eventually, but as a pending UFA, you probably weren’t getting much better for Andersson without an extension in place. The reality is Vegas is a desirable place to play, and they use that to their advantage to work over smaller market general managers like Conroy.
Could the Flames have gotten more if they had handled their business sooner instead of waiting around? Absolutely, however, given the corner they backed themselves into, this return is more than fine. Given Conroy’s track record at the draft, I have faith he can turn these picks into valuable pieces for the future. If you can flip Whitecloud for more picks and/or the 2028 2nd turns into another first, it takes this deal from just okay to a big-time win in my opinion.
Overall grade: B
