Evaluating 13 possible Rasmus Andersson trade destinations: Dallas? Detroit? Vegas?

The Calgary Flames have spent the last few seasons parting ways with key members of their core.

It appears defenseman Rasmus Andersson could be the next significant pillar to go.

The 28-year-old Swedish defenseman is ranked atop insider Chris Johnstons latest trade board , as hes about to enter the final year of a six-year contract carrying a $4.55 million cap hit.

Considering how small the market will be for top-pairing free agent defensemen, Andersson looks like an attractive commodity.

Right-handed defensemen always are viewed as valuable in this league, and the fact that he is cost-controlled for another year could appeal to a handful of teams.

Whether teams take on the full $4.55 million cap hit or pay for retention, he will likely be one of the more cost-effective top-four options compared to a free agent class that should benefit from a rising cap.

Andersson has averaged close to 24 minutes a night for the last three seasons, twice reaching double-digit goals in that period.

That gave him plenty of opportunities to stare down opposing fans in celebration.

Andersson can also be relied upon for power play and penalty killing duties.

While he doesnt have one specialty, the all-around game and ability to absorb big minutes tend to interest general managers.

Advertisement Anderssons defensive metrics have slipped in recent seasons, but his workload and the team around him add some context to that.

Andersson has been tasked with playing matchup minutes in Calgary, without much offensive or defensive support.

His primary partner this past season was Kevin Bahl, and while he was solid enough relative to the rest of the Flames blue line, he isnt top pair caliber, either.

Despite some downticks below the surface, he still brings snarl and tenacity against opposing players.

And a big part of his slide in defensive play could be attributed to playing through pain.

Andersson played the last 12 games of the regular season with a broken fibula .

A foot injury hampered much of his 2023-24 season, but he still played 78 games.

Andersson only missed three games during the 2022-23 campaign, but he was not at 100 percent after returning from a scooter accident in Detroit, where he was struck by a vehicle .

Via HockeyViz Even with the wear and tear, Andersson is still expected to be in demand as his game could still help teams in need of a defenseman.

And interested opposing general managers are likely betting on him to rebound away from a retooling Flames team.

In the right situation whether its a change in system, or role to a more fitting top-four capacity versus a number one or two another team may be able to maximize what he brings on both ends of the ice.

Maybe that helps brighten his current trajectory, which looks a bit underwhelming relative to his reputation.

Anderssons top comps Tom Gilbert, Kevin Bieksa, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dion Phaneuf all show where his game could be trending at age 29.

But with a stronger season, that could change and make him worth the cost of his next contract.

But the Flames are in no rush to move on from Andersson unless they get the package they want.

GM Craig Conroy spoke to the media on Thursday morning and acknowledged the possibility that Andersson could still be a member of the Flames come training camp.

(Andersson) has got another year on his contract, Conroy said.

I talked to Ras this morning and were all good.

If hes a Calgary Flame in September, hes a Calgary Flame.

Advertisement If youve been keeping up with the Flames in recent years, theyve offloaded plenty of talented players through their retool.

If youre familiar with how weve covered those players availability in the past, you know the drill.

Heres a list of potential destinations and evaluations of their fit for Andersson.

Carolina Hurricanes Its not clear whats next for Brent Burns in Raleigh, N.C., after his contract expires on July 1.

Even if Burns returns to the Canes (which he seems to be interested in doing ), it will likely be in a different capacity, because by the time the Eastern Conference finals rolled around, he looked over-leveraged on the top pair.

So management may want to find a stronger option to play alongside Jaccob Slavin.

The Canes could go in a few directions here.

The team could opt for someone with elite offensive ability, to bring a skill the rest of the blue line is missing, like Erik Karlsson or Noah Dobson.

Or, Carolina could look for an all-around defender who can chip in everywhere.

Andersson could take on matchup minutes on Slavins right and better solidify his game within the Hurricanes system.

Carolina has the cap space to extend him when his next contract expires, too.

An up-and-coming defenseman like Scott Morrow could be a Flames target in return.

Vegas Golden Knights Vegas interest level may depend on Alex Pietrangelos status for next year.

If his $8.8 million cap hit goes on LTIR, management will look for a replacement to play on Noah Hanifins right.

Andersson knows a thing or two about that.

Andersson would be a solid bet for the Golden Knights who, like the Panthers, already have three strong defenders to rely on in the top four.

So there isnt an unrealistic expectation for him to be The Guy.

What also works in Vegas favor is Anderssons reasonable cap hit for this season.

The team will be in the market for a top-six winger this summer, and a big swing on someone like Mitch Marner is going to eat a lot of cap.

Advertisement So, at most, the Golden Knights would be looking at a $4.55 million replacement to replenish their defense.

Any cap issues for 2026-27 are a later problem that this team is pretty adept at handling.

Detroit Red Wings Behind Moritz Seider, the right side of the Red Wings defense is seriously lacking.

With Jeff Petrys contract expiring, Justin Holl is the only other righty at the NHL level.

While there are players in the pipeline like Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Detroit still needs a top-four caliber option for this upcoming season.

That could open the door to an Andersson trade.

While the Red Wings dont have the same structure as Carolina, to mask any defensive gaps in his game, he would have a different role in Detroit as a top-four guy instead of a top-two.

Andersson could help Seider shoulder the burden of top competition, without either necessarily getting overwhelmed by it.

The Red Wings have a deep prospect pool and a lot of draft capital to work with to swing a deal.

And Detroit has the cap to sign Andersson long-term to get the most bang for their buck.

Dallas Stars Salary cap constraints are the biggest thing keeping the Stars from being fully invested in an Andersson trade.

PuckPedia reports that theyve only got $980,084 in cap space after signing Jamie Benn to a contract extension.

But moving on from a piece like Matt Dumba or Ilya Lyubushkin could make some cap room and upgrade their right side, while still filling needs for offense, defense and toughness.

The Stars would already look better with Miro Heiskanen and Andersson occupying the right side of their top four, especially if they could extend him long-term.

There could be a need, but engineering a trade might require some delicate salary surgery on the part of Jim Nill.

Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus was close to making the playoffs this past year, but they might experience some significant roster turnover.

Defencemen Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro could test the free agent market next month, firmly putting the Jackets in the market for defenders.

Our colleague Aaron Portzline listed Andersson as a potential trade target a few days ago.

Andersson could be a solid option to play alongside Zach Werenski on the top pair, or a second-pair option with Denton Mateychuk to his left.

In any case, the Blue Jackets could make up for some lost pieces at their back end while still having some kind of edge.

Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito has his work cut out for him, as he once again has to configure his roster while his players celebrate a Stanley Cup victory.

If Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand can fit under the cap, a player like Aaron Ekblad might be free to test the market.

It means Florida would need a right-shot defenseman in his absence, and Andersson might fit below Seth Jones in their pecking order on a second pair.

Advertisement Andersson isnt afraid to get rough and impose himself against opposing players, so theres a good chance hed fit right into the Panthers DNA.

And Floridas defensive structure should help shore up any holes in his game.

Zito also might not have a better right-hand man for insight than Matthew Tkachuk, who played a few seasons with the Swedish defenseman.

Buffalo Sabres After adding Michael Kesselring as part of the JJ Peterka return, the Sabres may not be in the market for another right-handed defender.

The plan could be to run a right side of Rasmus Dahlin, Kesselring, and Connor Clifton.

But if management wants to shift Dahlin back to his natural side, the left, then the team has to find him a right-handed partner.

Andersson could be that, in a role that comes with even strength responsibilities against top competition and penalty killing time.

Acquiring him would ensure a Bowen Byram trade in the near future, which already seems pretty likely.

After the Peterka deal, the most likely outcome for Buffalo could be Byram in exchange for a top-six forward.

But the Flames could actually be a landing spot for Byram, who could use more support on the left behind MacKenzie Weegar.

Los Angeles Kings If Vladislav Gavrikov walks as a free agent, the Kings may want some reinforcements on the backend.

Andersson wouldnt be a direct replacement for the lefty, but it doesnt hurt to have another top-four option ready to take on meaningful minutes.

Maybe his presence in Los Angeles would help management have a succession plan of sorts for Drew Doughty, who cant go head-to-head against top competition forever.

The Kings have the cap space to fit Andersson this year and an extension next year.

He could make sense alongside Brandt Clarke on the second pair, or next to Mikey Anderson if the coaching staff wanted to make some changes from last years mainstay top combination.

His presence could buy Jordan Spence more time to develop in a sheltered role on the third pair, unless management flips him for more goal support up front.

The Kings have draft capital to spend, or could flip one of their up-and-coming skaters to swing a trade.

Ottawa Senators The Sens are a bit of a dark horse in the Andersson sweepstakes.

There may be questions about a potential fit between Andersson and Thomas Chabot on the second pair.

But the Sens shouldnt be knocked for at least inquiring about adding another defenseman if it came to that.

Despite Nick Jensen already taking steps in his recovery from a persistent hip injury, some questions remain over the Sens blue line next fall.

Advertisement Adding Andersson to the Sens blue line would give them another piece who can provide offence from the back end.

The Sens use Jake Sanderson and Chabot as their power-play quarterbacks, but Andersson could be an alternate when needed.

Andersson also has some playoff experience, something the young Sens would surely lean on.

Tampa Bay Lightning Andersson could make sense on Victor Hedmans right (if JJ Moser shifts back to his natural side on the left) or as a replacement for Erik Cernak.

The Lightning are up against the cap and still have to find a way to improve the forward group.

So flipping Cernak, a hard-nosed defenseman, could bring back a forward and cap savings, if management can navigate around his no-trade clause.

As important as he is to that second pair, he isnt the driver thats Ryan McDonagh.

Cernak is signed for another six seasons with a $5.20 million cap hit.

Andersson is worth less than that at full value, and could be lower with retention.

The Lightning will have more space to work with in 2026 to handle a potential extension.

The Lightning dont have a ton of trade assets, but the rights to Isaac Howard and draft capital could move the needle.

The further out the pick, the more valuable it could be with their window in mind.

Boston Bruins The Bruins want to claw back into the playoffs after a lost season.

It means building around David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman and Charlie McAvoy.

There are worse foundations to build off of.

Boston has draft pick capital and youngsters as assets for a potential trade, and enough cap space to accommodate an extension for Andersson.

Even if they sign pending UFA Henri Jokiharju to an extension, plugging Andersson as a top-four defenseman would help their depth on the right side behind McAvoy to solidify the second pair with Nikita Zadorov.

Hed also reunite with former Flames castoffs Elias Lindholm and Zadorov in Boston.

Advertisement Vancouver Canucks It is not uncommon for the Flames to trade with a division rival, even during this retool.

Conroy flipped Lindholm and Zadorov to the Vancouver Canucks within months of each other.

Conroy also tried to get sufficient pieces and cap flexibility that would help stomach the blow of potentially seeing either player in Vancouver for the long term.

Ironically, both Lindholm and Zadorov are in Boston now.

Vancouvers right side could benefit from an offensive infusion to their defense group.

If Tyler Myers isnt part of the return, he could fall into the teams third pairing and leave Noah Juulsen and Elias Nils Pettersson as rotational depth players.

If Andersson extended with Vancouver, however, that might hurt a tinge more for Flames fans.

Colorado Avalanche The Avalanche are a bit of a long shot considering their asset pool and current cap situation.

But this team should be in the market for help on defense.

Colorado only has four defenders signed for next year: Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Sam Girard and Josh Manson.

Sam Malinski is an RFA on the right side, turning the attention to the left side of the third pair.

But maybe management should consider other changes to the right as well; to make cap room, the Avs could try to move the last year of Mansons contract and replace him with Andersson (with cap retention).

The big question is whether the team can put together a package that interests the Flames, especially when the demand for right-handed defensemen is so high.

Data via Evolving-Hockey , HockeyViz , HockeyStatCards , All Three Zones, Natural Stat Trick , and CapWages .

This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer on these numbers (Top photo of Rasmus Andersson: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.