The Calgary Flames are off to one of the worst starts in their franchise’s history. There have been trade winds surrounding this team since last season. Despite the distractions, the Flames put up 96 points and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. But this season, the distractions are louder, especially around defenseman Rasmus Andersson, and that has really hurt the Flames mentally at the start.
NHL Rumors: The Calgary Flames Don’t Need to Rush a Rasmus Andersson Decision
Many thought the Andersson situation would be resolved in the offseason, but it wasn’t. But GM Craig Conroy wanted to give his player time to assess everything. Not to mention, Andersson was looking for a bounce-back season. However, the Calgary Flames needed this situation resolved, as there was too much noise surrounding the player in the offseason.
There was a belief that Andersson would be traded in the offseason. But Flames captain Mikael Backlund coming out and telling The Athletic that it was obvious the defenseman was getting traded. This was not how you want to enter training camp.
“Yeah, he’s getting traded. It’s obvious,” Backlund said to The Athletic’s Michael Russo. “But the team wants value. He wants a big contract. So he wants to play well. The team needs him to play well. So, just go out and play. I talked to him, too, and he doesn’t want to be a distraction. So it’s all good. It’s too bad it’s come to this. I don’t think that they’re close to getting an agreement or anything, but you never know. Things could change. We’ll see.”
The captain of the Flames set the tone right away with the outlook on the season. Why should he say anything about another player’s contract situation? It is just a bad look and shows how much of a distraction this was, not only for the players, but for everyone involved in the organization. Everyone wanted this situation resolved before the season started. Most thought it would be.
NHL Rumors: Is Time Winding Down for Rasmus Andersson with the Calgary Flames
As the Voice of the Flames on Sportsnet 690 Derek Willis told Sirius XM NHL Network this off-season, he was surprised the deal wasn’t to trade Rasmus Andersson, but he expects he will be sought after.
“I think he’ll be very particular with the desired location, and the Flames, I’m sure, tried to negotiate well on their behalf. And the good thing is that he is sought after. So yeah, I did expect it would have been done personally. But that doesn’t mean it still can’t,” Wills said. “It might be one of those more valuable at the deadline type of scenario. So we’ll see. You know, Rasmus is being a pro, and if he’s here when the season starts, he will compete just like, but you know, I would expect they’ll probably still look pretty hard before the puck drops.”
But when training camp opened for the Calgary Flames, there was Andersson answering questions and stifling reports and rumours that he only wanted to go to the Vegas Golden Knights. He emphasized again that he was committed to the Flames and wanted to have a better season than last year.
But as Eric Francis of Sportsnet reported on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio, after Luke Hughes and Jackson Lacombe signed their new extensions at $9 million a season, Rasmus Andersson was also looking for $9 million a season.
“Rasmus Andersson, I am led to believe, is looking for about $9 million a year. So start the debate on whether or not, in the summer when Rasmus Andersson is a free agent, if he could land that sort of money,” Fracnis said. “Look, a rising tide holds all boats. I’m not saying he’s going to get it. I’m not saying he should get it. I’m just telling you that when the off-season talks were on, I do believe those were the sort of numbers he was looking at, because they’re not looking to sign anywhere until next summer, and by then, the cap will have gone up even more, so, who knows.”
NHL Rumors: Is Time Winding Down for Rasmus Andersson with the Calgary Flames
Again, it was a distraction the team did not need at the start of the year. These types of distractions did in the New York Rangers. Not to mention the mutiny against the general manager. But GM Craig Conroy did a good job of moving out players that didn’t want to be there a couple of seasons ago and got assets for them. It started with Tyler Toffoli in the summer of 2023. Then Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, and Jacob Markstrom all followed. The Flames were able to get good assets for those players.
It is time once again to have the discussion. Does Rasmus Andersson want to be in Calgary, or does he not want to be there? Whatever side of the coin he fell needed an answer before the start got underway.
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