Report: Flames recall D Rasmus Andersson from Stockton

In a move that may provide a bit of insight into just how hurt Michael Stone and Dougie Hamilton were against the Montreal Canadiens, the Calgary Flames have reportedly recalled defenseman Rasmus Andersson on an emergency basis from the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat.

A 20-year-old first-year pro from Sweden, Andersson was the Flames’ first selection (in the second round) in the 2015 NHL Draft and was selected with the pick the Flames got from Vancouver for Sven Baertschi. He has 22 points in 50 AHL games this season with Stockton. There wasn’t much of a substantive update from Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan during the post-practice media availability, but he did share a bit of his optimism about the injuries.

Gulutzan’s hopefulness seems to be reinforced by this move, which seems to suggest that only one player will need to be replaced for tomorrow’s game. With Hamilton possibly playing, there’s still a hole in the team’s third pairing on the right side. Given that Michael Stone is a right-shot defender, theoretically that gives the Flames the options to (a) dress Dennis Wideman, (b) recall somebody from Stockton or (c) abandon Gulutzan’s shot-balanced pairings.

The defensemen available for recall from Stockton are as follows:

Kulak has played 21 games with the Flames this season. He’s likely the most familiar amongst that group with the team, but an injury keeps him from being called up.

There’s also the factor of the Flames possibly being insistent on maintaining Gulutzan’s shot-balanced pairings, in which case calling up Andersson is an intriguing choice. He’s reportedly been playing great in Stockton and he’s arguably the most interesting pro defensive prospect that they haven’t seen in the NHL at any point.

With the Flames having an eight-point cushion on the Los Angeles Kings for a playoff spot, it does afford them the opportunity to bring someone like Andersson up and not have the game be make or break for them. And with Brett Kulak a very attractive expansion draft possibility for Vegas and all kinds of defensemen becoming free agents on July 1, learning about Andersson could be invaluable for next season’s planning.

It sure sounds like they’ll get that chance.