The situation with Rasmus Andersson has some layers to it, to be sure.

The 28-year-old right-shot top-four Calgary Flames defenseman doesn’t have a full no-trade clause (he has a modified one), but the 2026 unrestricted free agent’s ultimate hammer is that he controls which team he would be interested in extending with as part of a trade-and-sign scenario.

And as of Monday, the team that tops his list, league sources told The Athletic, is the Vegas Golden Knights.

Which explains why Vegas and Calgary have had numerous discussions over the past week, but still no trade has been made, as the Flames clearly haven’t been excited yet with what the Golden Knights have put on the table.

It makes sense that the Flames believe they should get more in a trade if Andersson is signed to an extension as part of it (he’s got one more year on his deal). But Andersson appears to be a little picky in where he would sign, which is obviously his right, as he would be forgoing a chance at unrestricted free agency 12 months from now.

Right now, it sounds like it’s pretty much Vegas for him.

My understanding is that the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings were among the teams with trade interest, but Andersson wasn’t ready to talk extension with those teams, so a trade didn’t materialize.

It’s not that he must be extended to be dealt, but if he isn’t, the value in the trade is diminished to some degree.

There remains the chance that Flames general manager Craig Conroy simply keeps Andersson and has him start next season in Calgary and focuses on the trade deadline in March as the better time to move him.

Having said that, the Flames are hoping to reel in a top-four defenseman in free agency as early as Tuesday when the market opens, and if they’re able to pull that off, they might circle back to Vegas in trade talks regarding Andersson.

Lots of moving parts to all this, but the biggest takeaway is that if Andersson agrees to an extension as part of trade in the coming days, it’s likely with Vegas.

Of note, my understanding is that Nicolas Hague was part of the earlier trade discussions between Vegas and Calgary, but he has since been dealt to Nashville. So if Vegas and Calgary pick up their trade talks again on Andersson, they’ll have to find another path to a deal.

What else is happening on Free Agency Eve? Rumblings as of midday Monday:

Kings ready to pitch Marner

On the Mitch Marner front, the Los Angeles Kings led by GM Ken Holland, were ready to fly a contingent to the Toronto area to meet with the prized UFA winger and his camp led by agent Darren Ferris. I believe the plan was to fly the night of July 1 and meet on July 2. But obviously the news this weekend of a potential Toronto-Vegas trade involving Marner’s rights put a pause on that plan.

The Kings were among the teams on Marner’s short list, which is why L.A. was ready to put its best foot forward and come meet the player in person. Of course, we continue to await word Monday on the potential Vegas-Toronto trade, a situation the Kings were monitoring closely.

Utah wants in on Marchand

Add Utah to the list of teams that would pick up the phone and reach out to Brad Marchand’s rep, Wade Arnott, if the 37-year-old winger goes to market Tuesday, joining the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins and others in the mix for veteran.

The Florida Panthers made their pitch to Marchand this past week, impressive presentation and all. The ball remained in Marchand’s court Monday.

Canadiens interest in Kyrou

The Montreal Canadiens have continued to show interest in St. Louis Blues top-six winger Jordan Kyrou throughout the weekend, as have several teams.

Kyrou’s full no-trade kicks in Tuesday, and the Blues have been talking to teams to determine the extent of the market for him before deciding whether or not to pull the trigger or keep him once his no-move kicks in.

If the Habs are able to acquire Kyrou, which would require multiple assets going to St. Louis, Montreal would also need to clear out more cap space this summer to make all the math work or at least have the cap in a place that makes Montreal more comfortable entering next season.

The Canadiens are among the teams in on Blues winger Jordan Kyrou. (Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)Provorov and Gavrikov updates

The Blue Jackets and Ivan Provorov have gone back and forth the past few days. I thought all along the pending-UFA top-four defenseman was headed to market, but the team was still trying on Monday to close the gap in talks.

Similar story in L.A., where the Kings were awaiting word Monday on their last offer to pending-UFA top-four defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. The expectation was that agent Pat Brisson would circle back to the Kings with the clock ticking.

Oilers want Perry back

The Edmonton Oilers want Corey Perry back but are currently limited in what they can offer him, so in their view, the ball is in his court.

Edmonton can’t chase it financially. There will most likely be better offers on the table come Tuesday for the 40-year-old winger, who continues to be an impactful player despite his age. Things change by the hour on June 30 as I write this, but all signs point to Perry going to market.

Maple Leafs interest in Pezzetta

I believe the Maple Leafs will be among the teams showing interest Tuesday in UFA winger Micheal Pezzetta. The rugged fourth-line winger is definitely the kind of player head coach Craig Berube likes in his lineup. If Pezzetta ends up with the Leafs, that would certainly add a little more spice to the Habs-Leafs rivalry.

Anti-tampering measures

And finally, I wrote last week about the NHL’s reminder to teams regarding tampering as it pertained to July 1. One detail that has since surfaced: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told teams they are not allowed to give permission to their respective pending UFAs to speak with other teams ahead of July 1.

In the past, that was a normal occurrence. But the league, I think, felt that was a go-around of the fact that the UFA “speaking period” was abolished in 2020. The only way pending UFAs can speak to other teams before July 1 is through a bona fide transaction (rights traded). That stipulation from the league caught some NHL front offices off guard.

(Photo of Mitch Marner being defended by Drew Doughty: Harry How / Getty Images)