The Calgary Flames don’t appear to be interested in being sellers. At least, not yet. A pair of recent interviews from president of hockey operations Don Maloney made it clear that this team isn’t interested in moving out veterans such as Nazem Kadri, as it appears they are still trying to salvage their 2025-26 season.
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While players with term may not be headed out the door, however, the same isn’t likely for Rasmus Andersson. The 29-year-old has been subjected to trade speculation throughout the summer and into the 2025-26 season, as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
This isn’t necessarily a case of the team or player wanting to move on. From the Flames’ perspective, though, signing Andersson to a long-term deal may not make a ton of sense given his age. Anybody hoping for that possibility won’t be happy to hear that recent reports suggest the two sides are far apart on extension talks, indicating that it’s only a matter of time before a trade is made. Thankfully for the Flames, the timing couldn’t be working out much better.
Andersson Has Bounced Back in a Big Way
Andersson has been one of, if not the most reliable defenceman for the Flames in years. He is always counted on to play a ton of minutes, and tends to give his team good results at both ends of the ice. He has surpassed the 45-point mark twice in his career, including a career-high 50 in 2021-22.
Despite all the success, the 2024-25 season was one to forget about. Despite the Flames as a whole playing quite well, Andersson struggled. He finished with just 31 points, his lowest total since the 56-game shortened 2020-21 season. Even worse, he finished with a plus/minus of -38. Only two NHLers in Mason Lohrei (-43) and Tyler Bertuzzi (-39) were worse in that regard.
The poor season was thought by some to have hurt Andersson’s trade value, and may have been part of the reason as to why the Flames chose to keep him on their roster to begin the 2025-26 campaign. If that was indeed part of the plan, it’s paying off.
Andersson has played much more like himself in 2025-26, having posted five goals and 16 points in 25 games. He’s been particularly good as of late, having recently been named the NHL’s first star of the week. That in itself won’t go unnoticed by other general managers around the league.
Flames Should Get a Haul
For a team looking to add to their blue line in hopes of a long playoff run, there may not be a more intriguing defenceman available than Andersson. He can play big minutes in all situations, as proven by the fact he’s averaging well over 24 minutes a game this season. He’s also relatively easy to fit in from a salary cap perspective, as he commands just $4.55 million.
Adding to the intrigue is that Andersson shoots right handed. Right-shot defenceman always have plenty of value around the NHL. One that can impress at both ends of the ice, while logging a ton of minutes like Andersson, makes his value extremely high.
With the Flames looking to slowly build towards being a contender, they will likely look to add both draft picks and prospects in a potential Andersson deal. At the very least, one would imagine they will net a very exciting prospect, along with a first-round pick, whether it be in the 2026 or 2027 draft.
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That bodes well for the Flames, who already have two first-round picks in 2026, and have each of their own firsts in both 2027 and 2028. While it’s never easy to part ways with a player as talented as Andersson, the veteran blueliner has improved his play this season, which all but ensures the Flames will be offered a package they won’t be able to say no to. The hope for now is that he continues this strong season to help increase his value even further.
