Rasmus Andersson has dominated the headlines as of late. Calgary Flames fans are going back and forth on what his future should be. It sounds as though general manager Craig Conroy is keen on keeping him around not only for this season, but many beyond. He’s locked up through 2025-26, making him eligible to sign an extension by July 1.
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Andersson has been very valuable to the Flames throughout his lengthy tenure in Calgary, particularly this season. His 24:19 per game lead the Flames by a significant margin, and ranks 16th amongst all NHL players. Because of those minutes, along with a hot start offensively to the season, the fans who support keeping Andersson continue to mention how great he has been through the Flames’ first 45 games of the 2024-25 season. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.
Andersson Has Hit a Rut
Andersson started out the season red-hot, scoring four goals and adding six helpers through the Flames’ first eight games. He’s scored just two goals in the 37 games since, with the latest coming on Dec. 3. He’s managed only eight points in that same 37-game span, a disappointing total for a player who had 50 and 49 points in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Ideally, you’d like to see better offensive numbers from Andersson than what he has shown as of late. The Flames are a team that has struggled to put the puck in the back of the net this season, and his strong start from an offensive standpoint played a major part in their 5-0-1 start.
The worst part of all is that it isn’t just the offensive side of the game in which Andersson has struggled as of late. He has a plus/minus of minus-9 on the season, the worst among all Flames defencemen. In his defence, that is somewhat expected given that he plays the most minutes on a team with a minus-12 goal differential, but he’s been on the wrong end of goals for a significant stretch as of late.
Andersson has been a minus player in nine of the last 19 games. Over that same span, he’s gone minus-13, indicating that he has indeed hit a rut. It’s likely due somewhat to fatigue given all the monstrous minutes he’s been playing, but is a good reminder that signing him to an extension does come with some risk.
Andersson In Midst of Prime Years
Any extension given to Andersson from the Flames would need to be an eight-year deal. He’s been on a bargain contract with a cap hit of just $4.55 million average annual value (AAV) since the 2020-21 season, and has played at a level far above that. This next deal is his time to really make some money, which he is certainly deserving of.
The scary thing when it comes to extending him is that his deal wouldn’t begin until he’s 30 years old. That would mean that he would be 37 entering the final year of that contract. Based on how he’s performed for the last several years, his salary would likely be in the $8 million range. It’s a fair price for the player he is right now, though there would undoubtedly be a decline in his game during the contract. The question is, how far in?
What often leads to a player slowing down is the wear and tear on his body. Andersson has picked up a lot of that this season with the minutes he’s played, and those minutes aren’t going to get much lower in the immediate future. The Flames do have some promising prospects on the back end, but none that are ready to step in and play significant minutes. If he sticks around, Andersson is going to continue to be a horse on the backend, which could lead to that decline coming sooner rather than later.
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On the other side of the coin, you have a player who, even with his struggles as of late, has tremendous value. He would bring in a serious package for the Flames in a trade, which would be extremely valuable for a team whose competitive window is still years away. By the time they are ready to compete for a Stanley Cup, there’s a chance Andersson is already past his prime. It’s a tough decision to make, but one that Flames management needs to carefully think out to ensure this team is in line to be successful years down the road.
