It’s been just over two weeks since the NHL Draft, when many people thought Rasmus Andersson would be traded. After extension discussions dwindled in the latter half of last season, it appeared there was no chance Andersson was going to be a part of Calgary Flames training camp come 2025. Now, Craig Conroy is doing his best not to look uncomfortable while confidently telling the media that Andersson would be happy to start the season with the Flames next year.
This past season was unique for Calgary in a particular way; it didn’t feel like anyone had their foot out the door, and Craig Conroy praised how unified the locker room was and how crucial it was to the team’s success. Having yet another pending free agent start the season on your roster seems like a fairly large distraction to me. Especially being the notably vocal leader that Andersson is.
There’s been report after report surrounding Andersson over the last couple weeks and it got us wondering, when and how will this situation finally be resolved? We asked, you answered.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @wincolumnCGY. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
How will the Andersson situation play out?
We presented the following poll to our readers:
How do you think the Rasmus Andersson situation will play out for the #Flames
— The Win Column (@wincolumnCGY) July 12, 2025
Traded before camp
It’s another majority this week, as over half of the polled fans think Craig Conroy will put all of this to rest before the offseason concludes and trade Rasmus Andersson before camp. There’s no question the pressure is on for Conroy with his short, but hectic tenure as an NHL general manager already front-loaded with pending UFAs that have left on both positive and negative terms. One thing Conroy can hang his hat on this final Stampede Sunday is the fact that he’s yet to let a big-ticket player walk to free agency.
Conroy’s time as Flames GM has been full of contract disputes and extension talks that have put the team in difficult decisions. While there may be pressure from ownership to push for veteran extensions, Conroy has been burned by not maximizing his assets, arguably every pending UFA he’s traded in the last two years. Although this Andersson situation is unique to itself, it’s beginning to trend towards a Noah Hanifin-esque departure.
It’s good to see fans are hopeful the Flames front office has learned from their mistakes over the past two years and will, in fact, nip this uncertainty in the bud. No need to invite any conversation about commitment to training camp this season. Conroy’s been adamant it won’t be a distraction if Andersson starts the season with the team and he’ll be committed to the Flames, but I don’t think he’ll let it get that far.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Traded mid-season
Roughly 15% of fans think Rasmus starts the season with the Flames and gets dealt mid-season, similar to Nikita Zadorov or Elias Lindholm. If Andersson does start camp with the Flames, no matter how much the team says his contract situation and pending future won’t be a distraction, it will. It will become a distraction because it will be the only thing anyone in the media talks about. Sure, the conversation surrounding expectations of the team didn’t distract the room.
That’s because there was nothing to lose. In this situation, the locker room stands to lose one of its pillars. If Conroy just wants to wait it out a month or two to see if Andersson’s value increases (won’t ever be as high as last deadline), I can understand that; however, waiting until the deadline is a risky move.
Rumours also swirled around the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary’s interest in Bowen Byram. Now waiting for a team-initiated arbitration hearing, teams will have to wait to see if Byram signs a one-year or two-year extension. This could bode well for the Flames on two fronts. Buffalo trading him elsewhere, thus bringing the league-wide target for defencemen back to Andersson. Or the Flames using Andersson in a trade with Buffalo or a third party to acquire Byram.
It’s tough to watch the clock tick on Andersson due to the recency bias, but it’s also logical to see why Craig Conroy is waiting. He swung and miss on lefty defenceman in free agency, and obviously still has his eyes set on Bowen Byram. Maybe the waiting game is just to ensure he can use Andersson as a piece to acquire more for a Byram deal? There’s never 100% certainty in professional sports, but this is a situation with an obvious expiration date.
Traded at the deadline
Roughly a quarter of fans don’t have much faith in Craig Conroy’s ability to jump on a deal before the final second. Timing is crucial with these trades and that’s already been a major topic of conversation with the Andersson debacle. At first some reports suggested the Flames were interested in moving up at the draft, nothing transpired. Next, free agency and more importantly, the decision of Aaron Ekblad, the biggest fish on the right defender market, was said to be all teams needed before ringing up Conroy and the Flames. Ekblad re-signs, offers come in, no trade done.
Fans heard rumours about the Los Angeles Kings, and that Andersson’s preferred destination was in Vegas with former teammate Noah Hanifin. Don’t forget, if Conroy does maximize Andersson’s trade value, it’s through a sign and trade route. That however, does require the player being in agreeance with the destination and contract.
This puts Calgary in a really tough position and ultimately gives the player all the negotiating power. When you consider the rumour of only wanting to sign with one team, that’s even worse. Why would you as a potentially landing spot for Andersson, pay full price if you can’t guarantee his long term commitment?
That’s where we tread into true rental territory which could leave the Flames in the same spot they were with Noah Hanifin at the 2024 Trade Deadline, left to take what they could get after losing immense value as the clock ticked and the market dried up. That’s a big risk to take when Conroy has done such a strong job drafting over the last two years. It seems obvious that the right call is futures, especially 2026 First rounders. If I was Conroy I’d be looking for the Nashville Predators of this upcoming season and secure their 2026 first in the deal. Wonder if the Canucks think they’ll be good again this year, Conroy’s fleeced them once already.
Long-term extension/Walks in free agency
Under 10% of fans think Rasmus will sign a long-term extension with the Flames at the end of all this. It seems unlikely at this point with reports that contract talks between the two parties were separated by a substantial margin.
The only way I see that happening is if Calgary trades away a winger, Vegas’ first-rounder this season, and a prospect or two to Buffalo for Bowen Byram. Then, Zayne Parekh goes on pace for a record breaking rookie season (sorry Lane Hutson) on a pairing with newly acquired Bowen Byram. Byram has a career year alongside Parekh while Huberdeau finally bounces back. Kadri and the Young Guns (Frost, Zary, Coronato) finally drive the offence at a sustainable pace and a new power play QB (Parekh) turns the Flames man-advantage into a top-ten unit league-wide. Wolf does his thing and steals 15 or so games the team shouldn’t win and the Flames are firmly in a playoff position come January, then Rasmus says, “Alright, maybe we can win here in the near future” and lowers his asking while also having a bounce back year in his own regard.
All of that is extremely hypothetical, unlikely, and more satirical than serious.
Unfortunately, the comment section didn’t forget to remind me of the last option. Andersson walks for nothing and tests free agency. Much more likely than an extension, and with every rumour that flies and day that passes, something that becomes more and more apparent in Flames fans’ brains.
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