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Although the Calgary Flames endured a nightmare start to the 2025-26 season, the team has been much better as of late — and that goes for pending unrestricted free agent Rasmus Andersson as well.
The 29-year-old right shot defenseman has usurped MacKenzie Weegar on the top powerplay unit, and sits second in team scoring with 25 points in 37 games.
While there's still a chance that the top-four blue liner re-signs in Alberta — especially considering the Flames are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race — The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun believes it's "not the likeliest outcome at this point."
The hockey insider believes the Swede could be moved to the Vegas Golden Knights , a place he's been rumored to prefer, ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.
"Why a trade to Vegas? Well, to start, it came pretty close to happening in June. And in my mind, the Knights still have a hole in their lineup from Alex Pietrangelo missing the season," LeBrun wrote on Wednesday morning. "The problem is that Vegas would have to find a new way to entice the Flames, as the Knights have traded away some of the players who were in the June trade discussion (such as Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators )."
LeBrun continued: "But here's another reason I like Vegas as a fit: The Flames know that in a perfect world, they trade Andersson with an agreement that he'll sign an extension with his new team, to augment the trade return. Andersson was willing to extend with Vegas in the summer as part of a potential trade. Let's see both clubs revisit this scenario then."
Andersson would be an excellent addition to the Golden Knights ' blue line, and he could be a candidate to jump onto the top powerplay unit on the strip right away.
While LeBrun could see a Flames-Golden Knights swap getting over the finish line sometime between now and March, his colleague Chris Johnston points to another Pacific Division team that could use a spark .
"Another team that explored a trade fit for Andersson last summer, the Kings remain a sensible destination with a blue line that could use a jolt. He's produced much more offensively than any current Los Angeles defenseman this season and brings a swagger to go with his all-situations ability," wrote Johnston on Wednesday.
"What isn't clear is whether Andersson would consider signing an extension with the Kings after he showed a reluctance to do that when the teams spoke last offseason. The price needed to get the Swede out of Calgary will likely be steep, especially for a team looking at him as a rental."
Both the Golden Knights and Kings would certainly benefit from a player of Andersson's caliber as they look to make noise in the West in 2025-26. It'll be interesting to see if a trade with one of the Pacific Division clubs gets over the finish line between now and March.
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