Rasmus Andersson has been a staple of the Calgary Flames blue line for years now. He was drafted in the second round of the infamous 2015 NHL Draft that also held names like Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel at the top.

The 28-year-old Swedish defender has six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 45 games this season following three straight impressive offensive seasons. And while his point total this season is lower relative to those three years, he’s still as important to this group in many different fashions, including transitioning the puck, special teams, playing lots of minutes against high-end opposition, on and off-ice leadership, and, of course, his famous staredowns.

However, Andersson’s current six-year contract expires after next season, and conversations and rumours about his future with the Flames are abound. Should Craig Conroy and his staff try to move the right-handed defender while his value is high enough to net a decent return? Or should they keep a player who is a key part of this team’s veteran core?

The reservations Flames fans and analysts have expressed about losing Andersson are valid, but moving Andersson is the right decision from an overall “future of the franchise” perspective.

While Andersson is an important player who plays significant minutes for the Flames, he’s also in the middle of his prime, and his production has hit a huge wall this season. He started strong but has fallen into a funk. If Andersson were to remain with Calgary, he would likely stay until he decides to retire, which means a long-term deal. Signing a 29-year-old defenceman to a seven- or (more than likely) eight-year deal that could end up at around eight million per year has ramifications.

While the cap ceiling is set to increase over the next few seasons, meaning the overall damage it could cause in the long run would be minimal at the back-end of the deal, it’s still on the books.

Every dollar matters when you’re trying to compete for a Stanley Cup. While the Flames are not even close to the cap ceiling currently, if all goes well, they will be in a few years, leaving no room for errors in the management team’s choice of contracts. An extension until Andersson is in his upper 30s likely isn’t going to look good toward the back half of the deal.

The younger players coming in include multiple young defenders looking to occupy spots in the defence’s top four. When Conroy drafted Zayne Parekh ninth overall and traded for Hunter Brzustewicz, he brought in two right-handed defencemen who were exceptional offensively. They can play every bit of the game Andersson can, and they’ll be aiming to take two of the top three spots on the right side.

While Parekh is still only 18, he’s crushing it with the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League. He has 51 points in 36 games this season, following an incredible 96 in 66 games in his draft year. He will compete for a spot in the defense core every training camp because he’s just that talented.

The same goes for Brzustewicz, who is 20 playing with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL. The third-round pick from Washington, Michigan, has only scored 14 points in 39 games, but it’s his first full AHL season. Once his game develops over the rest of the season and the off-season, Brzustewicz could be a threat to make the NHL roster next season. But at the very least, it will only be a couple of years before he hits his stride in the NHL, and with Andersson occupying a spot, there will be more problems down the line.

If Andersson is signed to a long-term deal by the Flames, he will not want to be playing third-pair minutes, but it’s only a matter of time before those two players deserve the kind of minutes Andersson is currently getting.

While Andersson is a significant piece of the puzzle on and off the ice for the current rendition of the Flames, signing him to a long-term contract could mean losing some valuable cap space in the future and clogging up the current top-four right-handed defense pipeline.

Andersson’s value is still high, meaning Conroy could manage a solid haul in a trade. There are plenty of asset possibilities, whether that’s a younger role player for the forward group or draft picks to try and keep a healthy stock. The place that Andersson occupies will also be freed up for the two up-and-coming right-handed, offensively-inclined defencemen, making it easier for them to advance up the ladder, find the highest level, and receive a substantial amount of playing time.

There’s no telling what kind of impact an Andersson trade would make both in the locker room and throughout the Flames fanbase. But when deciding whether to sign him to a long-term deal and keep him around or move him in return for assets, a spot for one of the two best defence prospects in all of hockey to take over when they’re ready, and cap space, the last option seems like the better one when focusing on the future.