Top 5 potential trade suitors for Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson
Article content
And, then again, it might not happen for several months.
Article content
Amid reports there has been no traction on a contract extension and since the Flames have some promising prospects on the right side of their blue line, it seems like a certainty that Andersson will be swapped between now and the trade deadline.
Article content
Article content
The 28-year-old workhorse is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, so he is signed for one more season at a cap-hit of US$4.55 million. That's good bang-for-buck when you consider that he has been Calgary's ice-time leader in three of the past four winters, wears a letter on his sweater and can both put up points and rack up blocked shots.
Article content
The insiders have stressed that Flames general manager Craig Conroy won't rush this decision, that he will wait for a fair return.
Article content
As Conroy works the phones, here are five teams that could/should be calling about Andersson.
Article content
DALLAS STARS
Article content
The Stars have made consecutive trips to the Western Conference final, ousted by the Edmonton Oilers both times, and their most obvious shortcoming this spring was the need for another Top-4 defenceman. They were asking a lot of Cody Ceci as Thomas Harley's sidekick in a big-minute role.
Article content
Article content
Article content
He undoubtedly is on Jim Nill's radar and it helps that the Flames could potentially ease some of the cap concerns in Big D. The inclusion of Mat Dumba or Ilya Lyubushkin, both righty rearguards, would count as a salary dump.
Article content
As they try to scratch their way past the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference, Andersson could be an intriguing fit in Carolina. He offers more offensive oomph than most of their current blueliners — he equalled a career-high with 11 goals this winter — and can provide the sort of snarl that would be helpful in a future playoff run-in with the Panthers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
NHL, NHLPA are reportedly close to new collective bargaining agreement
The NHL and NHL Players' Association are on the verge of extending the collective bargaining agreement more than a year before it expires and expanding the regular season to 84 games. The league and union have been in talks since April and are closing in on a memorandum of understanding addressing a number of high-profile topics long before the current agreement runs out in September 2026. The extension that could be announced as soon as Friday at the draft in Los Angeles would provide extended labour peace in a sport that has had multiple work stoppages, including the 2004-05 lockout that wiped out an entire season. The league and union closing in on a deal was confirmed Thursday by three people familiar with the negotiations who spoke with The Associated Press on condition on anonymity because the deal had not yet been finalized. It was first reported by Daily Faceoff. Two of the people said the new CBA will increase the regular season to 84 games from 82, shorten the maximum length of contracts and add a playoff salary cap for the first time. Extending the regular season from a total of 1,312 games to 1,344 would also come with curtailing exhibition play. Since 2013, players have been able to re-sign with their own team for up to eight years and sign with another for up to seven years. Under the new CBA terms, each would be reduced by a year, to seven for re-signing and six for changing teams. A salary cap in the postseason would prevent teams from using long-term injured reserve rules to load up their rosters. Currently, teams with players on LTIR can exceed the cap by roughly the amount of the players' salaries until the playoffs begin. The option has been used, for example, by Chicago (Patrick Kane in 2015), Tampa Bay (Nikita Kucherov in 2021) and the Vegas Golden Knights (Mark Stone in multiple seasons) during their playoff runs. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh foreshadowed a quick conclusion to labour talks speaking at the Stanley Cup Final earlier in June. Bettman said the sides were 'in really good shape, having really good discussions,' and Walsh added that talks were 'moving forward, and I feel good with where we are.' A full, new CBA would be the first since 2013. The league and the union have been working on the memorandum negotiated in 2020 to finish that season during the pandemic and would meld that agreement with the framework from 12 years ago.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Kane relishes opportunity to play for hometown Canucks after trade from Oilers
Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane (91) and Florida Panthers centre Sam Bennett (9) go after the puck during the third period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) VANCOUVER — Evander Kane is relishing the opportunity to join his hometown team, one he feels is close to being competitive with a desire to win now. The Vancouver Canucks acquired the bruising 33-year-old winger from the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in exchange for a fourth-round pick (117th overall) in this week's NHL Draft. Kane has one year left on the four-year, US$20.5-million deal he signed with Edmonton as a free agent in January 2022. 'Family, proximity. And I think, obviously, coming to a team who wants to win,' he mentioned as the driving factors in joining Vancouver. 'This ownership group, this management group, they want to win and they want to win now. 'Playing against them in the playoffs two years ago, it was one game away and maybe they're in the Cup final. I don't think we're too far off.' Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in an availability Wednesday he wanted to make the Canucks a tougher team to play against, and that head coach Adam Foote was involved in the move. Vancouver missed the post-season in 2024-25, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division just one year after taking the division crown. 'I've played that (physical) style ever since I was eight years old here in Vancouver,' said Kane, who donned a suit in Canucks colours for the press conference. 'Nothing's going to change when it comes to how I play and what I bring on the ice. I'm very confident in what I could do and I think Vancouver's going to provide me a good opportunity to do that.' The six-foot-two, 218-pound forward did not play a single regular-season game in the 2024-25 campaign as he recovered from surgeries to repair both abductors, two hernias, two abdominal tears and a knee injury. However, he returned for Game 2 of the first round, and contributed six goals six assists in 21 games during the Oilers' second consecutive run to the Stanley Cup final. 'Being able to get my body right, having the surgeries I had and get back to 100 per cent was a nice kind of reset for me,' Kane said of missing the regular season. 'Obviously, missing the whole year and having to jump into the playoffs is never easy but I kind of drew on my experience from the year before playing hurt. 'For me, the time off and getting healthy has kind of allowed me to roll the clock back a little bit, in my opinion, and I think hopefully than can translate onto the ice.' Kane played junior hockey for the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants before getting picked fourth overall by the Thrashers in the 2009 draft. Over 16 NHL seasons, he has logged time with Atlanta, Winnipeg, Buffalo, San Jose and Edmonton, amassing 326 goals, 291 assists and 1,186 penalty minutes over 930 regular-season games. He has another 55 points (32 goals, 23 assists) in 97 playoff appearances. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Oilers could sweeten the pot to move on from Arvidsson
If the Oilers can't make a dollars in, dollars out Viktor Arvidsson trade, just wondering if they might have to sweeten the pot to get a team to take all of Viktor Arvidsson's $4 million with no money retained. Like, maybe the Oilers send along that fourth-round 2025 pick they got for Evander Kane in the Wednesday trade, because teams are leery of paying $4 million for a small winger who used to be a top-six staple but is now a third-liner. Article content Article content 'And on a really good team, Arvidsson might even be a fourth-liner. But, he's not perfect for a fourth-line with his dimensions. He's not suited for that. It seems the Oilers had a hard time finding a fit for him, finding somebody who could bring the best out in him,' said an NHL source who has liked Arvidsson's game in the past but knows it took a hit here. Article content Article content The Oilers want no money on the books for Arvidsson, who knew the handwriting was on the wall, in ink, when the Oilers scratched him for UFA Kasperi Kapanen in the Game 6 final in Florida. He has a no-move clause but he wants to play, and most likely the Oilers are giving him a list of teams that are interested. Article content KANE MOTIVATED Article content The Vancouver Canucks will probably be getting the short-term best of Kane because he's going home and he wants a new contract after this season. Article content Certainly Kane was fantastic here in 2022 after parting ways, and not amicably, with San Jose, then signing with the Oilers. He had 37 goals and 56 points in 58 games, including the playoff run that ended with the Western Conference loss to Colorado. Kane was on a pro-rated $2.1 million, then got his four-year deal from Ken Holland after the playoff for a $5.13 million AAV. Article content Article content 'He's a pretty good player when he's on the ice and you have him focused,' said another longtime NHL executive who has watched Kane's career since he was 18 and sees him as a rebel on the ice. 'But there's a lot of baggage that comes with that.' Article content Indeed, Kane plays the game chaotically as an in-your-face intimidator and protector of teammates and off the ice it's been much turmoil, too, as we all know. Article content 'But for one year, I think Vancouver will get mileage out of Kane because he'll want to play longer, so he earns another contract down the road. I think it's a great gamble for the Canucks. He's a finisher and he's at his best when the last guy who gets the puck is him in the offensive zone,' said the executive. Article content 'You can say what you want about Kane's past year in Edmonton, but he was a big factor in the playoffs for the first three rounds until he wasn't as effective in the final.' 'I think the game plan with Florida was to go after Kane and maybe get him distracted and off his game … and there were a number of penalties he took that hurt the Oilers,' said the executive, who felt the Oiler coaching staff was all-in on Kane penalties if they were aggressive but not high-sticking or slashing or hooking, and he had seven minors in the final series.
