After years (if not decades) of being stuck in the middle, the Calgary Flames are finally making the right choice by entering a rebuild. General manager (GM) Craig Conroy has made it clear he doesn’t believe in tanking, but moving on from several top players, including Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane this summer, proves that he is building towards the future.
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With all the moves Conroy has made since being named GM, the Flames have been able to acquire plenty of prospects and a huge amount of draft picks in the coming years. While they haven’t outright said it, it seems as though the goal of this management group is to be competitive by the time their new arena is built. Should that indeed be the goal, they have one player in particular who remains on their roster that could bring back a massive return in a trade.
Andersson Would Garner Major Interest
Prior to the trade deadline, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes said that Rasmus Andersson was drawing interest from a number of teams across the NHL. The Flames never wound up moving him, as losing Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Andersson would have been far too big of a blow to their blue line in the same season. Moving him between now and next year’s trade deadline, however, makes plenty of sense.
Andersson is in the prime of his career at 27, and is a true number three defenceman on any team with Stanley Cup aspirations. He is always reliable in his own end of the ice, and has the ability to produce plenty of points at even strength. He’s put up 138 points over the past three seasons despite very limited power play time.
On top of Andersson being a very good NHL defenceman, he is also on an absolute bargain of a contract. He still has two years remaining on his deal, and carries a cap hit of only $4.55 million. With many Cup teams struggling to stay cap-compliant, his team-friendly deal makes him even more of a valuable target for many organizations across the league.
What Andersson Could Net
It’s not every day that a borderline top-pairing defenceman with a cap hit like Andersson’s is available. In fact, it almost never happens. That bodes well for the Flames, as it means that should they move him, they will get a fantastic package in return.
Most teams who would show grave interest in Andersson are ones that would consider themselves potential Stanley Cup contenders. The Flames would certainly be able to net a first-round pick, though fans should be prepared that it could come in the back half of said first round. The return doesn’t end there, however.
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Given that the Flames may have to settle for a later first-round selection, they would also be in line to get a legitimate top prospect. They were able to net one in Hunter Brzustewicz in the Elias Lindholm trade, and Lindholm was on an expiring contract. Given Andersson’s term, the prospect coming back would, or at least should, be of even higher calibre.
Flames’ Future Looking Bright
If the Flames do move on from Andersson, their future will become even brighter than it already looks. They already have some high-end prospects such as Brzustewicz, Zayne Parekh, and Matt Coronato. Being able to add another in an Andersson deal would go a long way in helping them become the contenders they desire to be in the coming years.
Of course, there is no rush to move Andersson given his contract situation. The sooner they do so, however, the bigger the return will be. With little shot at being competitive in 2024-25, it may be well within Conroy’s best interest to begin seeking out teams and figuring out exactly what the market is for his talented Swedish defenceman.
