Following a successful season, it’s time for the Calgary Flames to consider trading a key defenceman. Rasmus Andersson has developed into a top-four defenceman since being drafted by Calgary in 2015. He has taken on leadership responsibilities as an alternate captain and become a cornerstone of Calgary’s defensive core. Despite this, now is the right time for Calgary to move on from Andersson.
Time To Make Space For Top Prospects
One of the key factors for moving away from Andersson is the fact that he is a right-handed defenceman. Which has typically been something most teams lack. However, Calgary has a bevy of right-handed defencemen in their prospect pool and on their roster. Starting in the NHL, Calgary already has three right-handed defencemen under contract excluding Andersson. This includes their best defenceman MacKenzie Weeger, as well as depth defencemen Brayden Pachal and Daniil Miromanov. This means Calgary doesn’t have much roster flexibility to make room for some of their talented young defensive prospects.
Calgary’s top prospect, Zayne Parekh has dominated the OHL the past two seasons and proven it’s time for him to play in the pros. Due to his CHL rights, Parekh isn’t eligible to play for the Flames AHL affiliate next season which really gives Calgary no choice but to keep him on their NHL roster. Even if Parekh needs a little more time to sure up his defensive play, there’s no advantage to him playing in the OHL for another season which means Calgary needs to make room on the roster for him to play in the NHL. Having four right-handed defencemen under contract and adding Parekh would create too much of a log jam. Moving on from Andersson would create the space the Flames need for their promising young talent Parekh to progress in his development.
In addition to Parekh, the Flames also have two other solid right-handed prospects in their system. Hunter Bzustewicz is coming off a solid first season in the AHL. With another step, he could be a call-up candidate next year. Additionally, Henry Mews is coming off an impressive 82-point OHL season, and although he’ll be playing at the University of Michigan next season, the stable of incoming right-handed defencemen makes it hard to commit long-term to Rasmus Andersson.
Flames Not Looking To Lock Up Andersson Long Term
With all the incoming talent it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Calgary Flames to lock up Andersson to a long-term contract. Make no mistake, Andersson is a solid top-four defenceman, and at 28 years of age, he will be getting a seven or eight-year contract. If there were a possibility to sign Andersson to a shorter contract the case of resigning him would be much stronger. However, with MacKenzie Weegar, Calgary’s top defenceman already locked up until the end of the 2027-2028 season and the Flames looking to shift towards a younger core, signing Andersson long-term makes less sense.
Calgary has other issues they need to address even more so than stability on the defensive end. Calgary finished as the third-lowest-scoring team in the NHL this past season. Their inability to score goals was a major reason they failed to make the playoffs. This issue can be addressed both by making room for a player like Zayne Parekh who scored in his NHL debut and is coming off a 107-point OHL season. Additionally, Calgary could look to add some offensive players via an Andersson trade. With Calgary’s right side having the potential to become a position of strength, trading away a player of Andersson could be a big benefit for the future.
Return For Andersson Could Be Strong
As we’ve mentioned, Rasmus Andersson is a proven top-four defenceman. He would provide a boost to any NHL roster he joined. This means that he would have many suitors looking to add his talents. Unlike most trade candidate, Andersson could be a fit for many teams. He is young enough at 28 years old that a rebuilding team could look at him as a potential veteran to lock up long-term and provide leadership on the backend. He also has a very manageable 4.55 million dollar contract which means contending teams near the NHL salary cap could add him to their roster without too much pain. This means there is a massive pool of teams that could be interested in Rasmus Andersson.
There have been some similar deals recently that could provide insight into what return Andersson could provide the Flames. Last offseason the Ottawa Senators traded defenceman Jakob Chychrun to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenceman Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick. Chychrun was younger than Andersson but had a similar contract of 4.6 million dollar AAV and the same term. At the 2024 trade deadline, Calgary traded 27-year-old defenceman Noah Hanifin to Las Vegas. Calgary received a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, defenceman Daniil Miromanov, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 draft from Vegas. At that time Hanifin was a similar age and had a similar 4.95 million dollar AAV contract.
These deals suggest Calgary could potentially get a first-round draft pick and a prospect for Andersson. They could also potentially get an NHL player and a later pick in a trade.
It’s Time For Calgary To Trade Defenceman
With prospects coming and an impactful return likely, it’s time for Calgary to trade Rasmus Andersson. He’s been a great player for the Flames and one fans have enjoyed cheering for. However, management should now use him to help strengthen their organization and become a true contender in the near future.
Main Photo: Terrence Lee- Imagn Images
