Top 5 potential trade suitors for Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson
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If we write this fast enough, it can be published before Rasmus Andersson is traded away by the Calgary Flames.
It feels like it could be any minute.
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And, then again, it might not happen for several months.
Amid reports there has been no traction on a contract extension and since the Flames have some promising prospects on the right side of their blue line, it seems like a certainty that Andersson will be swapped between now and the trade deadline.
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The 28-year-old workhorse is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, so he is signed for one more season at a cap-hit of US$4.55 million. That's good bang-for-buck when you consider that he has been Calgary's ice-time leader in three of the past four winters, wears a letter on his sweater and can both put up points and rack up blocked shots.
The insiders have stressed that Flames general manager Craig Conroy won't rush this decision, that he will wait for a fair return.
Will Conroy find the right deal as soon as this weekend, with the trade winds blowing strong around the 2025 NHL Draft? Or will he stand pat until the suitors sweeten their bids?
As Conroy works the phones, here are five teams that could/should be calling about Andersson.
DALLAS STARS
From an on-ice perspective, ignoring those pesky salary-cap considerations, this makes perfect sense.
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The Stars have made consecutive trips to the Western Conference final, ousted by the Edmonton Oilers both times, and their most obvious shortcoming this spring was the need for another Top-4 defenceman. They were asking a lot of Cody Ceci as Thomas Harley's sidekick in a big-minute role.
Could the addition of Andersson nudge the Stars over that hump?
He undoubtedly is on Jim Nill's radar and it helps that the Flames could potentially ease some of the cap concerns in Big D. The inclusion of Mat Dumba or Ilya Lyubushkin, both righty rearguards, would count as a salary dump.
Could the Flames somehow pry away young forward Mavrik Bourque? He'd certainly be a top target.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
The Hurricanes are on the hunt for a new partner for the somehow-still-underrated Jaccob Slavin. His usual right-hand man, Brent Burns, is now into his 40s.
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As they try to scratch their way past the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference, Andersson could be an intriguing fit in Carolina. He offers more offensive oomph than most of their current blueliners — he equalled a career-high with 11 goals this winter — and can provide the sort of snarl that would be helpful in a future playoff run-in with the Panthers.
The Hurricanes have long been frontrunners in analytics, so it would fascinating to hear their internal assessment of a guy who posted a cringe-worthy minus-38 rating during the 2024-25 campaign.
They have more cap space than any other contender and, with a mighty mid-season swing on Mikko Rantanen, Hurricanes honcho Eric Tulsky showed he is willing to be aggressive.
OTTAWA SENATORS
Social-media general managers are often trying to play matchmaker between the Senators and Flames, but that's usually a case of fans in Ottawa hoping to bring MacKenzie Weegar back to his hometown.
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That's not gonna happen.
Is Andersson a more realistic target?
While it has been reported that Ottawa is one of his undesired destinations on his six-team no-trade list, he wants to be a playoff regular and the Senators are trending toward contender status. Their core pieces — a list headlined by Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson — are mostly in their early- to mid-20s.
Andersson could also appeal as a mentor to Calgary Hitmen standout Carter Yakemchuk, a fellow right-hander and Ottawa's first-round pick last summer.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
The Blue Jackets and Flames had similar storylines this past season — both teams overachieved, and did so while playing with heavy hearts, but ultimately missed the playoffs.
The late Johnny Gaudreau was one of Andersson's close buddies, so you can bet he paid attention to what was happening in Columbus. The Blue Jackets and Flames both deserve major kudos for the way they honoured a superstar gone too soon.
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