Insiders are now reporting that the Calgary Flames are telling other NHL teams to get their offers in when it comes to trading for defenseman Rasmus Andersson. If they want to make a pitch, now is the time. Their intention appears to be to move him ahead of the Olympic roster freeze.
Both Frank Seravalli and Pierre LeBrun report that this deal could happen within the next 24 to 48 hours. LeBrun writes: “As others have noted, things have heated up on the Rasmus Andersson trade front. He wasn’t held out of the lineup last night, but the feeling is that talks have intensified. Let’s see where things go over the next 24 to 48 hours whether or not it gets done.”
Elliotte Friedman also reports on the 32 Thoughts podcast that this is getting close. He explained:
“Calgary has indicated that they want to do this right before the Olympic break, which is three weeks from today. Today is Thursday – the pod falls on Friday – but as we record this, it is Thursday and the Olympic break is three weeks away. There is an Olympic trade deadline on February 4, and I believe the Flames want to get the deal done by then.”
He added: “I also believe that Rasmus Andersson would also like to make the trade happen by then. So I think a lot of effort is being made.”
Who is involved in the Andersson trade talks?
Friedman said there are already teams showing strong interest. “There have been some reports this week about Boston, and I definitely think the Bruins are involved.” He added that the hardest part is always knowing exactly where things stand at any given time with the Bruins and the Flames. “I’ve heard it’s on, it’s off, it’s on, it’s off. I know there were people at one point who thought it was pretty close, and then it backed off. We’ll see where it goes, but there’s definitely mutual interest.”
He added that Vegas is another team sniffing around. The Golden Knights pursued Andersson last year but were unable to get a deal done. “I don’t think it’s ever been that close, but I still think Vegas is lurking.”
He added: “I also suspect Dallas, and I always assume there are teams involved that I’m not aware of – teams that are quietly fishing around.”
Finally, there is another surprise team: the Canucks. “From all the talk right now, Vancouver is a team that’s in the middle of everything…”
All contracts are an option
Friedman said both a contract extension and a lease transaction are possible. It sounds like he might be open to an extension in the right situation, but no one is ruling out the idea that this could be a loan deal and he could test free agency. The longer this trade lasts, the more likely it is to test the market.
Both Seravalli and Friedman said if it’s Boston, an expansion is likely happening.
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