Heading into a new season for the Calgary Flames, few storylines are larger than the future of Rasmus Andersson. The topic has become almost tiresome, but it’s fair to say fans might make a bigger deal of it than Andersson or his teammates.

That seems to be the case at training camp. With three days of camp complete and pre-season games looming, Andersson looks all business and appears to have arrived ready to go.

“You try and get into it, especially with camp just being a few weeks, there’s no time to rest and you just gotta get after it and it’s good to get those battles early,” Andersson said, via Flames TV.

Andersson is coming off a difficult season. He played 81 of 82 games, including the final 12 with a broken fibula, but his numbers weren’t where he wanted them. He finished with just 31 points and a career-worst minus-38 rating. Asked how he digested those results heading into the summer, Andersson was blunt.

“Just move on,” he told reporters Saturday. “It’s a new season and I’m not here to talk about last season or anything like that. Just move on and be ready to go when the puck drops. (I) got a lot of stuff to play for this year.”

It was a busy off-season for Andersson. While he found time to step away from the game with family and friends, his summer didn’t start immediately after the Flames were eliminated from playoff contention. Andersson not only received his first invitation to the world championship but was also named captain of Team Sweden, with the tournament taking place in his home country.

Reflecting on the experience, he called it “kind of surreal.”

“It’s a memory I’ll have for the rest of my life and something I’m super proud about,” Andersson said. He was able to play in front of friends and family, including his grandmother, who hadn’t seen him live since he left Sweden more than 10 years ago.

Andersson admitted he didn’t use the chance to boss around Flames teammate and captain Mikael Backlund, but instead said they worked well together and felt well supported. As the tournament went on, he grew more comfortable in the role, and Sweden captured bronze.

Now entering his 10th season with the Flames, Andersson faces another year filled with trade speculation, contract talk and the possibility of representing Sweden at the 2026 Olympics in Milan. But he insists he wants to keep his focus on the ice.

“Control what you can control,” he said when asked about the Olympics. “If I skate around and think about the Olympics every shift, they won’t be good.” He added that he’s focused on helping Calgary get off to a strong start: “If the team is doing well, then you’re usually also doing well.”

Sometimes, the best way to block out the noise is by simply playing the game. For Andersson, being on the ice with teammates and familiar faces seems to help. Flames head coach Ryan Huska has leaned on that familiarity in camp, keeping Andersson paired with Kevin Bahl — a reunion Andersson welcomed.

“I missed his long stick,” Andersson said. “He’s a big unit out there and plays with that long reach of his and he usually has a good gap, which makes it easy for me.”

As for the bigger picture, Andersson likes what he sees.

“I think we’re all pretty familiar with each other in that room, it’s pretty much the same team coming back,” he said. “Just get off to a hot start and never look back.”

Regardless of where you might stand in all the speculation, It’s nice to see that Andersson has shown up this season, refreshed, motivated and unwilling to allow all the noise to distract him from helping the Flames get off to a good start.

The Flames open their pre-season with a split-squad doubleheader against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Both games begin at 6 p.m. MT. The Flames will stream the Calgary game on their website, while Oilers+ will have a (paid) stream available for the Edmonton game.