Teams interested in Rasmus Andersson receive reality check from Flames

The Calgary Flames were supposed to rebuilding. They traded Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Nikita Zadorov during the 2023-24 campaign and wound up missing the playoffs by nearly 20 points. They then proceeded to trade Jacob Markstrom over the offseason. There was reason to believe Rasmus Andersson was only the next veteran set to get dealt once they fell out of playoff contention.

However, the Flames have been arguably the most surprising team in the NHL thus far. They enter Wednesday's action sitting in the Western Conference's final playoff spot with 49 points in 43 games.

What seemed like a lock with Andersson, is now anything but. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic ($), the Flames have no intention to trade Andersson whatsoever.

"Teams have called the Calgary Flames about the top-four defenseman, and the answer to each team has been the same: There’s no interest in trading him."

Teams looking for an impact defenseman will have to look elsewhere.

Flames expected to hold onto Rasmus Andersson past the NHL trade deadline

Again, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Flames. The fact that they're sitting in a playoff spot past the midway point of the regular season gives them little to no reason to even consider trading a player of Andersson's caliber. Parting with him would make it virtually impossible for them to squeak into the playoffs, and it isn't as if he's a rental. The 28-year-old is under contract through the 2025-26 season on a very reasonable, if not team-friendly, $4.55 million cap hit.

LeBrun wound up taking it a step further, not only saying that Andersson isn't going anywhere, but that the Flames would like to keep him around beyond next season.

"The Flames plan to try to extend Andersson this summer. There’s no guarantee they can get that done, but for the time being, they’ve got time on their side before crossing that bridge."

Andersson has been a stalwart in Calgary's top four defensively for the last seven seasons, and they don't intend on changing that anytime soon. In his ninth NHL season, Andersson remains productive. So far this season, he has six goals and 18 points in 42 games, averaging over 24 minutes of ice time per game (leads team) and quarterbacking the team's top power-play unit.

Andersson is a player the Flames are comfortable using in any situation, and his ice time reflects that. Virtually any team in contention would love to add a right-shot defenseman with Andersson's ability on a $4.5 million cap hit with an extra year of control, but he's exactly the kind of player that the Flames do and should want to keep around.

An argument can be made that the Flames should look to sell high on Andersson since even if they make the playoffs, the Flames aren't true Stanley Cup contenders, but, getting a young core some playoff experience can be very valuable. Plus, again, Andersson could be a long-term piece in Calgary leading this team when there's even more talent on the roster. With another year of club control, there's little reason for them to consider trading an integral part of their team.