Latest news with #Andersson
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Rasmus Andersson trade buzz: Toronto Maple Leafs eyeing a $27 million veteran to fix defensive woes
Rasmus Andersson trade buzz: Toronto Maple Leafs eyeing a $27 million veteran to fix defensive woes (Image Via Twitter ) The Toronto Maple Leafs are at a crossroads again. Another painful playoff exit, a likely Mitch Marner departure, and a restless fanbase are heavy burdens on the accused to recalibrate. But the offseason has come with opportunities and perhaps redemption. The Leafs are now refocusing on the defensive front, and Rasmus Andersson of Calgary looks like the prime candidate for trade who would bring a new face to Toronto's blue line and a couple of seconds of stability to a team in transition. Rasmus Andersson could offer the Toronto Maple Leafs the right-handed defensive stability they urgently need The Maple Leafs' playoff shortcomings, once again, have been their inability to stop teams that have applied high offensive pressure, like the Florida Panthers. They made the series last seven games, and yet the Game 3 collapse was a testament to how exposed they are in the right-side defense position. With Tanev and Carlo providing the gritty presence the Leafs would love to have, the spotlight now shifts to Flames veteran Rasmus Andersson: skilled, tough, and the right-shot defenseman with nine seasons under his belt. According to Kypreos, starting from the trade deadline, there has been interest shown by Toronto in Andersson, and that interest may soon be rekindled. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Salma Hayek, 58,Shows Her Huge Size In New Photos Boite A Scoop Undo With three years having passed without making it to the Playoffs for Calgary since the exit of Matthew Tkachuk, the Flames are at their crossroads. With young goalie Dustin Wolf heralded as a new face of the franchise, Calgary may want to shed some valuable veterans, and Andersson, with just one year left on a deal worth $4.55 million, fits the bill perfectly. An Andersson contract could be beneficial for both teams. For Toronto, this would be a low-risk and high-reward option, therefore not interfering with any long-term cap considerations. Having a whopping $25 million plus in cap space with major decisions on John Tavares and Matthew Knies looming, the best course of action might be to acquire Andersson for prospects and picks. He brings scoring from the back end at an elite level, but he also has the grit and hockey sense the Maple Leafs would be desperate for when it comes to facing playoff competition. Also Read: Calgary Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson appointed Captain of Team Sweden at 2025 World Championship If the Maple Leafs are serious about ending their Stanley Cup drought, acquiring Rasmus Andersson might be a savvy move. His addition would mean the initiation of a more balanced and tougher defensive core, exactly the kind of base Toronto has been dying for to finally make that big postseason breakthrough. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Amidst trade rumours, Flames GM says Rasmus Andersson could start next season in Calgary
Article content As trade speculation swirls, Calgary Flames fans would do anything for a glimpse at the call log on Craig Conroy's cell phone. Article content They'd love to know who has been inquiring about Rasmus Andersson, which rival general managers are angling to trade for the workhorse defenceman and what they're willing to offer in exchange. Article content Conroy isn't going to divulge those details, of course, although he confirmed that he did have one important conversation Thursday, on the eve of the 2025 NHL Draft. Article content Article content 'I talked to Ras this morning and we're all good,' Conroy said during an early afternoon media scrum at the Saddledome. 'If he's a Calgary Flame in September, he's a Calgary Flame.' Article content Article content There's no guarantee that Andersson will still be a Flame by the end of the weekend, though. Article content As he enters the final year of his current contract, it has been rumoured that the 28-year-old blueliner is ready for a change of scenery. Article content Despite posting a miserable minus-38 rating in 2024-25, Andersson can handle tough matchups, can contribute in the offensive zone and has a reputation as a strong voice in the locker room. He was selected as Sweden's captain at the world championship tournament. Article content Article content Article content Andersson also showed his toughness and competitive streak by playing the final few weeks of this past season with a broken fibula. He continued to rack up blocked shots, finishing fourth among all NHLers with 196. Article content Article content It's certainly possible that Conroy will receive a trade offer he can't refuse prior to (or during) Friday's first round of the draft. Maybe he's already mulling a couple of potential packages. Article content On Thursday, however, he was sending the rest of the league a message that he won't be rushed into a deal. A contract extension for Andersson seems unlikely, especially since the Flames have an impressive stable of defence prospects, but Conroy was adamant that 'we're never going to close a door.' Article content 'You gotta look at it — Ras has got another year on his contract,' Conroy reminded. 'There's nothing that I would say is going to happen or not going to happen. You know, we would never do it in the media anyways. We're just going to go about our business and try to make the team better, with the draft coming up and free agency.
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Top 5 potential trade suitors for Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson
Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Latest National Stories
National Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Top 5 potential trade suitors for Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson
Article content And, then again, it might not happen for several months. Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content The insiders have stressed that Flames general manager Craig Conroy won't rush this decision, that he will wait for a fair return. Article content As Conroy works the phones, here are five teams that could/should be calling about Andersson. Article content DALLAS STARS Article content 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. Article content Article content Article content 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. Article content 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.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Top 5 potential trade suitors for Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson
Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content OTTAWA SENATORS Article content 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. Article content That's not gonna happen. Article content Is Andersson a more realistic target? Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content Article content There is no need for a No. 1 defenceman in Columbus — Zach Werenski, who finished as runner-up in Norris Trophy voting, has that locked down — but they could use a strong second fiddle and that explains why they're rumoured to be interested in Andersson. Article content The Blue Jackets hold a pair of first-round picks for this weekend, at Nos. 14 and 20, so that could spark the conversation. Article content So isn't Andersson an ideal contingency plan as Ekblad's potential replacement for next season? Perhaps he and Gustav Forsling could even showcase themselves as a could-be combo for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Article content
