In today’s NHL rumour rundown, Rasmus Andersson spoke with media and shared that he has not limited the Calgary Flames to any certain teams should he be dealt. Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Penguins are continuing to shop Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, and at least one could be moved by the start of the season. Finally, the Anaheim Ducks are still trying to find a solution with Mason McTavish, and reportedly do not want to move him.
Andersson Denies Trade Rumours to Vegas
Throughout the offseason, one of the biggest trades many were anticipating hasn’t happened yet, and that is Rasmus Andersson. All signs point to Andersson not extending with the Flames, and general manager Craig Conroy has been open about being willing to go into the season and deal with it at a later date.
In a post from Expressen, a Swedish news site, it was reported that Andersson did not limit the Flames to only trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights, as was previously reported.
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Andersson states, “I have still been very appreciated in Calgary for a long time. Then some insider comes with wrong information and then the fans believe it, because they are right about a lot of other things they do and I understand that that is their job. But I have not given Calgary a team, that I only want to sympathize with a team. That is not true, he says.”, with the quote being translated from Swedish.
He continues on to say that he knows there was an offer from the Los Angeles Kings, and isn’t too concerned about his contract, which expires in the 2026 offseason.
So whether or not Andersson has a personal list or has just a few teams he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for, he hasn’t given the Flames any restrictions to this point.
Rust & Rakell Both Still Being Shopped
It is no secret that the Penguins have been looking to move the pair of valuable veterans this offseason, but it is clear that the right trade hasn’t come across Kyle Dubas’ desk yet. Both Rust and Rakell are sought after, and on The Athletic Hockey Show, Josh Yohe was the guest speaking on how to fix the Penguins, and during the show, he brought up the duo.
The package the Penguins want is young, talented players. They have brought in a number of those already, but are looking for more. Yohe stated that he isn’t certain that Rust and Rakell will both be on the roster when the season starts, and that there is a real chance that one is moved. There are five weeks to go until training camps start up, and that is a lot of time to get things figured out.
Ducks Don’t Want to Move McTavish
As the start of the season inches closer, the few remaining unsigned restricted free agents will be looking to get something finalized, and with McTavish and the Ducks, while some reports state that they are having a hard time coming closer together on a number, Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco shared that the Ducks are not looking to move McTavish, but continue to work toward an extension.
Di Marco writes “I really can’t see a world in which Ducks GM Pat Verbeek moves off of Mason McTavish. Verbeek, who learned under Steve Yzerman, is a notorious tough negotiator, so this may just be common practice for him.”
There have been many reports before about general manager Pat Verbeek being a tough negotiator, and so this isn’t a huge surprise. This kind of thing happened with Trevor Zegras already, but with the roster filling in with more veterans, there could be some concern for McTavish about his role and position on the team.
