Flames and Top Defenseman Ready to Part Ways, Trade Talks Open

As per Elliotte Friedman in his recent 32 Thoughts column, “On Rasmus Andersson: the feeling across the league is the talented defenceman is ready for something new. I believe the Flames are willing, but only when they get what they want. There’s significant interest, which helps.”

In other words, after saying he was happy to remain a Flame, it now looks like Andersson is just as happy to move to a team that he feels fits him, gives him a chance to win, and leaves Calgary with pieces they can move forward with. The Flames will move him if the trade offers are worth considering.

The 28-year-old defenseman had 31 points in 81 games last season. He has one season remaining at $4.55 million on his contract, which makes him an attractive addition for many teams.

Friedman isn’t the only insider claiming the two sides are ready for a change. Frank Seravalli added Andersson to his latest trade board, writing:

“The Flames and Andersson’s camp were expected to trade numbers last week for the first time to see what an extension might look like. The tenor of those talks will determine what happens next. Fish or cut bait? Andersson presents great trade value, even after a relatively down year, for a right-shooting defenseman with an edge, double-digit goal scoring ability and a very reasonable cap hit. The Flames aren’t in a rush. They’d have no problem hanging onto him until the trade deadline to potentially watch his stock rise even higher.”

When is the Best Time for the Flames to Move Andersson?

The price to acquire Andersson won’t be cheap. If he’s moved right away, a team will get a full season out of him and will have all year to try and get him inked to an extension. If the deal waits until the trade deadline, he likely becomes a pure rental. That will drop his value, and depending on the season he has in 2025-26, could impact what he’s able to sign for as the salary cap takes another massive jump.

Don’t be surprised if there is a great deal of chatter at the draft.

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