Folks, there are a few things we think we know right now. One is that Calgary Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson is a really good hockey player. Another is that he’s gonna get a big raise on his next contract. Yet another is that, because of a reported gap in salary expectations between Andersson and the Flames, his next contract will likely be elsewhere.

So as we march towards an inevitable conscious uncoupling between the Flames and their longtime defensive stalwart, there’s been a ton of chatter and reporting about Andersson’s future.

The latest comes from the esteemed Pierre LeBrun at The Athletic, who provided an edition of his Rumblings column on Monday in advance of the opening of free agency on Tuesday.

Here’s LeBrun – this is a snippet of a much longer section you should go read at The Athletic for yourselves:

It makes sense that the Flames believe they should get more in a trade if Andersson is signed to an extension as part of it (he’s got one more year on his deal). However, Andersson appears to be a little picky about where he would sign, which is his right, as he would be forgoing a chance at unrestricted free agency 12 months from now.
Right now, it sounds like it’s Vegas for him.
My understanding is that the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings were among the teams with trade interest. Still, Andersson wasn’t ready to talk extension with those teams, so a trade didn’t materialize.

We’re gonna shout this from the rooftops: the Flames would get the best trade return for Andersson if they traded him somewhere he’ll sign long term. So while Andersson’s deal only includes a six team no-trade list, Andersson can direct the process a bit through his willingness to entertain a long-term future somewhere.

Sure, the Flames could just trade him to one of the 25 other teams not blocked by his no-trade list, but they wouldn’t get the same potential value back as they would if they found Andersson a longer-term landing spot. If the idea is to maximize the value of the asset through this process, rushing a trade to somewhere Andersson won’t extend doesn’t make a ton of sense, especially with so much time left to potentially move Andersson – the trade deadline isn’t for another eight months.

It’s worth noting that Andersson’s long-time teammate Noah Hanifin currently plays for the Vegas Golden Knights, and so it would seem reasonable to assume that Andersson has a bit of an idea of how the team operates, the lifestyle in the Las Vegas Valley, and so on.

Andersson is under contract through the 2025-26 season with a $4.55 million cap hit and will become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by July 1, 2026. He’s eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1, 2025.

Get ready for wall-to-wall coverage of one of the biggest days in the calendar — the Daily Faceoff Live Free Agency Special goes live on July 1st at 11 AM EST. Host Tyler Yaremchuk is joined by Carter Hutton, Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Marek, Hart Levine, Colby Cohen, Jonny Lazarus, and insiders from across the Network for three hours of in-depth analysis, live reactions, and real-time updates on every major signing and trade. From blockbuster deals to under-the-radar moves, we’re breaking it all down as it happens. Don’t miss a minute — catch the full special live on DailyFaceoff.com and Daily Faceoff’s YouTube.

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