Flames Trade Rumors: The Calgary Flames are receiving trade offers for defenceman Rasmus Andersson, and there’s steam gaining that a deal could be completed sometime in January. Many teams see the Olympic roster freeze as the mini-trade deadline, and Andersson could very well be on the move soon.
The right-handed blueliner is a pending free agent earning $4.5 million AAV, and owns a six team no-trade clause on his contract. He’s having a career season, scoring nine goals and adding 18 assists, for 27 points in 43 games this season. The 29-year-old is averaging 24:09 of ice-time per game, and is going to step into a Stanley Cup contenders top-four and contribute in all three zones, and on both sides of special teams. The Flames sit with a 18-21-4 record, near the bottom of the Western Conference and GM Craig Conroy is open for business.
Daily Faceoff’s Mike Gould recently released five teams to keep an eye on in the Andersson sweepstakes and they included: Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Vegas Golden Knights.
The Stars are interesting, as they’ve been linked since the very first trade rumor came out about Andersson, so they should be considered a heavy favorite. Gould thinks there’s certainly a case to be made for Dallas pulling the trigger on the big deal.
It seems as though everyone in Calgary has been mocking up Andersson-to-Dallas trades for the last year. And it makes sense. If there’s one thing the Dallas Stars have in spades, it’s left-handed defensemen; if there’s one thing they need above all else, it’s a capable righty to pair with one of them.
The Stars have expended significant energy in shoring up their right side over the last two seasons, to varying degrees of success. The Chris Tanev acquisition in 2024 worked out reasonably well, but the Cody Ceci experience last year was more of an adventure. In any event, Stars general manager Jim Nill now has an opportunity to pursue more of a long-term fix in Andersson as opposed to yet another rental.
Keep an eye on the Flames. They’re in sell mode, talks are active, and there’s at least one big trade brewing.
