Rasmus Andersson has been a great Calgary Flame throughout his seven seasons with the club. He is the only drafted and developed defenceman currently in their lineup and is undoubtedly a fan favourite. His value to the team and the city of Calgary is substantial, but with the deadline now just days away, it’s time for management to decide if he’s more beneficial to the team on the ice than he would be in a trade.

Let’s weigh the pros and cons of trading Andersson prior to the 2025 NHL trade deadline.

He’s a depreciating asset – “Raz” is not getting any younger, and at 28 years of age, some would even argue that he’s past his prime. Though he hasn’t played up to his standards in 2024-25, this is likely the highest his value will be from now until the end of his career from a contractual standpoint.

Andersson’s deal expires in 2026, meaning any contending team that acquires him before this year’s deadline will get two playoff runs out of him, at a team-friendly cap hit of $4.55 million. However, if the Flames ship him out in the off-season or even a year from now, his value will be reduced to that of a pure rental, and the return will be far diminished from what it is today.

Jump-starts the “rebuild” – Calgary is supposedly in rebuild mode, Right? Regardless, the young pieces you could potentially acquire in an Andersson trade now are closer to making an impact in the NHL than said assets a year from now.

Typically, it takes players about three years to make an NHL roster from when they were drafted. The idea is to acquire these players or picks now as though to start that developmental ‘clock’ as early as possible, rather than kicking the can down the road.

Allows Flames to keep their 2025 first-round pick – Lost in the conversation surrounding Calgary’s Cinderella-like story this season, is the fact that the Flames are at risk of losing out on their first 2025 Draft selection. As per the conditions on Calgary’s own 2025 first-round pick, which were authored by former general manager Brad Treliving as part of the Sean Monahan trade with Montreal, if both the Flames and Florida Panthers finish outside of the bottom 10, the Canadiens receive the better of their two first-round picks.

This trade condition could be disastrous for Calgary, as losing out on your first-round pick in just the second year of a rebuild is not at all conducive to building for the future. Though it’s no guarantee that trading Andersson will punch a ticket into the bottom 10, it’s more likely than not considering his contributions to the backend and the minuscule two points that separate the Flames from 23rd place.

So long, playoff hopes – With the Flames struggling to simply keep their head above water, the subtraction of Andersson from their blueline will surely sink their hopes of playing into May. If the team loses one of their “super Swedes” and fades back into irrelevance, it could hurt a Flames’ locker room that has reportedly gelled well this season and has garnered serious belief in themselves. Additionally, an Andersson trade does not align with the approach that Craig Conroy established when he brought in Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, stating that he did so to reward the team for their success.

Loss of a key leader – Andersson is a central cog in a core veteran group that includes Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund and MacKenzie Weegar. Having established veterans on the roster eases the transition of younger players into the NHL, and the Flames have a plethora of young players currently rising through the ranks. Andersson is the second-longest tenured Flame on the team, only behind captain Mikael Backlund, and has been a mainstay through the recent years of roster turnover. Andersson’s value is immeasurable in this regard, as the next longest-tenured player is Blake Coleman, who’s serving in just his fourth season as a Flame.

The reality is that the most successful front offices are those that employ a cutthroat approach to asset management, those that aren’t influenced by emotion and who aren’t afraid to cut bait on fan favourites. Past champions like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers have all made tough calls, moving on from the likes of Steven Stamkos, Mikko Rantanen, Jonathan Marchessault, and Jonathan Huberdeau among many other star players.

All of the aforementioned names achieved major success and endeared themselves to the fans of teams that didn’t take any of that into account when they flipped them to improve their roster in the short and long term. A Bill Zito, Chris MacFarland, Kelly McCrimmon or Julien BriseBois likely wouldn’t think twice about trading an aging Andersson, as it’s the most logical course of action for a rebuilding club.

The Flames should trade Rasmus Andersson and they should do it before Friday’s 1 p.m. MT deadline to maximize their return. However, I don’t believe they will and we will ultimately be kicking the can down the road, only to revisit this conversation in a year’s time.

Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!