Was there a first-time general manager in recent NHL memory dropped into a more challenging first few months than Craig Conroy was?

In the spring of 2023, Conroy was promoted to GM of the Calgary Flames after nearly a decade as an assistant GM under Brad Treliving. And Conroy inherited a veritable house of cards from his predecessor, best encapsulated by seven prominent Flames entering the final year of their contracts (seven potential unrestricted free agents) and a ticking clock.

When the dust had settled by the 2024 NHL Draft, Conroy had opted to retain Mikael Backlund, allowed Oliver Kylington to leave in free agency, and traded away – deep breath – Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane.

By contrast to what he inherited from Treliving, 2025’s off-season seems downright quiet. The big question looming over the next few months, and a frequent topic conversation among Flames fans, is the future of blueline Rasmus Andersson. A longtime Flame, the 2025-26 season will be the final one on Andersson’s current contract.

Speaking with Ryan Pinder and Dean “Boomer” Molberg of Barn Burner this past week, Conroy provided an update on how things have been going in terms of talks with Andersson’s camp.

“When he left he wanted to just take a mental break, not talk about any of this, so now over the last week we’ve reached out to them and now we’ve started the dialogue,” said Conroy. “So it’s the beginning of the process. We definitely have a term and number that we like and they have a term and number they like, and that’s where it begins. But you know that’s part of the process and I think when you’re looking how this goes it will determine a little bit of what path we’re going to go down.”

For context, the 2023-24 season was a bit messy. The team got off to a rough start under new head coach Ryan Huska, culminating with a flat performance at the 2023 Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers. It seems pretty obvious that having so many big pieces of that team on expiring deals caused a bit of a distraction for the Flames. While it wasn’t the only reason the season went off the rails, it certainly didn’t help things.

So if the Flames can’t come to terms with Andersson on an extension by a certain date, like the upcoming NHL Draft or the start of the season, would the Flames need to make a trade?

“I give Raz a lot of credit, he’s just very honest,” said Conroy. “And he just said, ‘hey if we can’t come to a deal or we do come to a deal, like, I’m a Calgary Flame. Even if i come back next year and i don’t have a deal, like, I’m here, I’m gonna play hard, you know, I’m gonna do everything I can for the team.’ So if anything he’s been real open to, beforehand, those conversations. I don’t think he would be upset, I don’t think there’s a deadline for me. ‘Oh, you don’t get him signed, he has to go,’ like Rasmus isn’t in that mindset. Rasmus knows he wants to have a great year next year because that helps his contract, like we all do. Every time I went in a final year, you’re thinking ‘oh I want to have a big year here.'”

Given the situation and Andersson’s contract status, is Conroy listening on offers for Andersson?

“Well that’s just part of the job, you have to do that with every player.” said Conroy. “I mean, you really do, because you don’t know what’s going to come up. What someone’s needs, maybe there’s a great fit I never thought of it, the other guy did, and that that’s part of it. If there’s a way someone just calls and says ‘hey we would be willing to do XYZ,’ and it’s ‘oh that that makes total sense for the next 10 years for our team,’ you would look at it. But it’s not just Raz, it’s everybody.”

Would keeping Andersson long-term or moving on from Andersson cause the Flames’ current retooling process to change course?

“I don’t think so,” said Conroy. “I don’t think one leads the other, because the goal is always to continue to get better.”

Tune in for The Sheet Draft Special, streaming live on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel on Friday, June 27th at 7 PM EST. Hosted by Jeff Marek, this live special will cover all the action from the 2025 Draft, including expert analysis of top prospects, team-by-team breakdowns, and real-time reactions to every pick. Whether you’re tracking your team’s future stars or just love the drama of draft night, this is your go-to destination for all things Draft.