One of the most likely trades that hockey fans could soon see at some point this offseason is the Calgary Flames parting ways with defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who has been the subject of numerous rumors.
Andersson is set to play the final season of his contract, which includes a $4.55 million cap hit, a reasonable number for multiple teams looking to make an upgrade to their blue line – especially with the salary cap projected to soon rise.
While Andersson has been linked to a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference, one Western Conference team is being linked to him as a potential landing spot in a proposed trade that would send a $31 million forward and a future pending unrestricted free agent back to Calgary in return.
Could The Flames Swap Rasmus Andersson to the Dallas Stars for Jason Robertson?
According to recent speculation from The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Flames “would love” to acquire Jason Robertson from the Dallas Stars, a lethal goal scorer who, like Andersson, is also set to enter the last season of his current deal.
“It’s been pretty quiet on the Andersson front,” Seravalli said. “I think everyone is curious on what happens with Robertson. Will they work out an extension in short order and if not, are they making a move? The Flames would love to, somehow, get their hands on Robertson, I think in a deal that could involve Rasmus Andersson, which would be such a good fit.
“Has he let the Flames know that Vegas could be a potential landing spot he’s interested in? I think so,” Seravalli said. “But my understanding is that that list is not exclusive by any means, and I think that Dallas would make a ton of sense for Rasmus Andersson as well. That’s the one place where the Dallas Stars are really struggling, I think, the right side of their defense.”
The Stars recently traded depth defenseman Matt Dumba to the Pittsburgh Penguins, meaning they’re now down a right-shot blue liner.
What Makes Andersson So Valuable to Flames?
Andersson has played in 536 career NHL games, all in a Flames uniform. He’s demonstrated that not only is he capable of playing heavy minutes, but also that he can contribute offensively.
Last season with the Flames, Andersson scored 11 goals to go with 20 assists, and he’s racked up 47 goals with 184 total assists during his career.
While it would be a difficult choice for Flames general manager Craig Conroy to have to trade an important defenseman like Andersson, it would still be better for him to be traded in exchange for assets rather than lose him on the free agent market next offseason for nothing in return.
