Six trade destinations to watch for Flames’ Rasmus Andersson
If you enjoy furious player movement during the NHL offseason, procure yourself a tasty platter of snacks and get comfy. We should be in for an epically dramatic few weeks, with optimal conditions for maximum chaos, from a rising salary cap to a slew of desperate contenders trying to level up before their windows close.
We can thus presume Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy’s phone is already blowing up with inquiries on defenseman Rasmus Andersson, 28, who enters the final season of his contract at a $4.55 million cap hit, already a bargain but now downright larcenous with the league cap jumping a record $7.5 million for next season, from $88 million to $95.5 million.
It’s debatable whether now is the right window to move Andersson. For one, the Flames are in the midst of an identity transition. They blew up their roster over the past couple seasons, launching a rebuild, but were ahead of schedule in 2024-25, missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker. If they’re trending toward the postseason, do they want to move one of their top defensemen? Then again, it’s possible rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf’s stellar play simply made the Flames look more sustainably playoff-ready than they really were. By the time Calgary reaches its next peak, Andersson will likely be in his 30s and trending downward. They can also fill his right-side spot with mega-prospect Zayne Parekh as soon as this coming season if he shows he’s ready.
Maybe the right play is to trade Andersson but not force it immediately. His value could be just as high if not higher as a rental near the 2026 Trade Deadline. And moving him right now would also mean selling low. He’s coming off a down year. He still compiled 11 goals and 31 points while playing 81 games and averaging 23:59 of ice time a night but, on a 96-point team, the Flames had minus-20 goal differential with him on the ice at 5-on-5, albeit the expected goals were close to even, so he had some back luck with opponents finishing their chances.
Still – it’s likely the Flames will be tempted in the coming weeks as a slew of hungry GMs kick the tires on a coveted right-shot defenseman in his prime. It’s worth noting that, despite Andersson’s reputation as a minute-munching two-way blueliner, he’s been much more effective on the offensive side of the puck. Over the past three seasons, he grades out in the 90th percentile among all defensemen in primary assists per 60 at 5-on-5. Any team trading for him should be one seeking a puck-mover to drive the play toward the other team’s net, not a smothering shutdown artist.
Which landing spots make the most sense for Andersson? Consider these six.
Carolina Hurricanes
Why he makes sense: The Hurricanes desperately want to break through and advance past an Eastern Conference Final after getting there three times in the past seven seasons and going a combined 1-12. They boast $28.42 million in projected cap space and have top-six blueliners Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov hitting free agency. Even if Burns, 40, delays retirement and comes back, his play has slipped to the point he won’t be making much on his next deal and can’t be trusted as anything more than a sixth or seventh defenseman going forward. The Canes could use another mobile right-shot blueliner. They’re also positioned nicely as a trade partner for the Flames; not only does Carolina own six first-round picks over the next four drafts because of the Mikko Rantanen trade, but it also has an sneaky-strong prospect pipeline, which could appeal to a Calgary team seeking young, NHL-ready contributors. Could you build a deal around right-shot prospect Scott Morrow, for example?
Fly in the ointment: The Canes could decide they’re more than good enough breaking in Morrow and big-time prospect Alexander Nikishin since they still have Jaccob Slavin, Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere. Carolina’s real Achilles Heel in recent seasons has been the lack of a game-breaking scorer, so perhaps GM Eric Tulsky focuses on that need instead, chasing a massive fish such as Mitch Marner in free agency or Jason Robertson via trade.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Why he makes sense: Columbus is one of two teams with more than $40 million (!) in cap space for the 2025 offseason. Some of it must go toward filling the holes on defense, whether that means re-signing Ivan Provorov and/or Dante Fabbro or looking elsewhere. Particularly if the righty Fabbro moves on, Andersson could fill that gap. The Blue Jackets have a deep prospect pool, not to mention several young NHLers breaking in at the NHL level at all positions, so GM Don Waddell would have plenty of permutations to dangle Calgary’s way.
Fly in the ointment: Fabbro is a couple years younger. He’s better defensively. He told me earlier this season he really felt the Blue Jackets gave him the opportunity he needed to find his game. There are so many reasons for him to stay, and he should cost less than Andersson – or certainly less than Andersson’s next AAV after his current deal. Plus, you don’t have to surrender any assets to simply re-sign a player. He only costs money. Columbus knocked on the door of a playoff spot this season and seems ready to enter its contention window, but chasing Andersson might represent too much of a kneejerk move.
Dallas Stars
Why he makes sense: Where do we start? The Stars have a big hole on the right side of their defense. They failed to address it with Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin last summer; it seems like everyone except GM Jim Nill knew those moves were doomed to fail. If Dallas, showing signs of desperation after firing coach Pete DeBoer last week, wants to break through with a bold move, shoring up the right side with Andersson would make plenty of sense. They also have a young RFA with upside in center Mavrik Bourque who has had a hard time climbing the depth chart and might blossom on a team who needs him more. A deal founded on Andersson and Bourque feels like a nice fit.
Fly in the ointment: Dallas certainly needs a player like Andersson. But, uh, are we sure the cap space is there? Top-nine forwards Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn and Mikael Granlund are UFAs. There’s already chatter of the Stars jettisoning star left winger Jason Robertson to make room for additional big-game hunting. So would Andersson’s AAV fit under the cap? It really depends on where on the depth chart Nill decides to allot the team’s cap space. Only two teams have less than Dallas’ projected $4.96 million at the moment.
Detroit Red Wings
Why he makes sense: Does any team crave a trustworthy top-four blueliner more than the Red Wings right now? Not only do they desperately need support for Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider, but there’s no guarantee top blueline prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka is an NHLer this coming season. He’s just 20 and only got into five total AHL games between the regular season and playoffs after coming over from Sweden late this season. If the Wings want to halt their playoff drought at nine seasons, they must do a lot better than the likes of Justin Holl and Ben Chiarot. While Andersson isn’t a defensive defenseman, he’s still a competent one whose game would help keep the puck in the other team’s zone more often.
Fly in the ointment: The Red Wings finished bottom third in pretty much every important defensive metric this past season, from expected goals against to scoring chances and high-danger chances allowed. Are they therefore better off pursuing a blueliner whose specialty is quieting things down in his own zone? With Jeff Petry’s contract finished and more than $21 million in cap space, Steve Yzerman could find the blueline help on the UFA market without surrendering assets. A player like Vladislav Gavrikov, for instance, would cost more immediate money than Andersson’s final-year AAV but wouldn’t require Detroit dealing away picks or prospects.
Ottawa Senators
Why he makes sense: Though Nick Jensen mostly stabilized Ottawa’s second pair alongside Thomas Chabot this past season, it feels like Ottawa needs one more true top-four guy if it wants to continue its upward trajectory after reaching its first postseason in eight years. Either that, or you spread Jake Sanderson, Chabot and Andersson across three pairs and improve your mobility as a team. The Sens have all their core forwards locked into long-term deals and have recently extended goaltender Linus Ullmark as well, so maybe they can shift their focus to the blueline. And while they improved a lot defensively this season, they have a ways to go offensively, so a blueliner like Andersson with more of an offensive bent fits.
Fly in the ointment: The Sens have $15.03 million in projected cap space, which isn’t the big stack at the poker table entering what should be an offseason of bananas league-wide spending. They must decide how much of that goes to Claude Giroux if he re-signs, and given finishing is a problem for this team, GM Steve Staios must consider allocating some of his cap space to chase a pure goal scorer. Think Brock Boeser, for instance. Also – Ottawa’s prospect pool is now one of the league’s weakest with so many of the team’s prospects graduated to the NHL level. Acquiring an Andersson type could probably require sacrificing an established young NHLer.
Philadelphia Flyers
Why he makes sense: The Flyers have reached the stage of their rebuild in which they are ready to pursue some modest upgrades. At least for this season, Andersson’s affordable cap hit places him in that category. And with Rasmus Ristolainen’s triceps surgery recovery possibly extending into next season, this team could use another reliable right-shot blueliner.
Fly in the ointment: Is Andersson the type the Flyers need, though? They have Jamie Drysdale and Cam York and Travis Sanheim. They aren’t hurting for muck-moving ability. Might it be wiser to seek size and strength if they want to directly replace Ristolainen – hence the interest in the Vegas Golden Knights’ Nic Hague? Andersson has some jam to his game and blocks shots with aplomb, but he’s not a punisher out there.
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