For months and months already, it has been a debate that has divided the C of Red.
There are many Calgary Flames fans that envision workhorse defenceman Rasmus Andersson as a major piece of the long-term plan. In fact, they figure he’s the frontrunner to be the next captain of their favourite team.
Others, however, are adamant Andersson should soon be traded away. They believe Flames general manager Craig Conroy could command a massive haul of picks, prospects or just-hitting-their-prime pieces in exchange for Andersson, arguing that they’d be better in the future if they traded their best blueliner now.
“I hope I’m staying,” Andersson told Postmedia after Friday’s practice.
Andersson’s future will remain a hot topic right up until the March 7 trade deadline — and potentially past then.
If Conroy is willing to listen, the 28-year-old rearguard would immediately rocket to the top of the list of most appealing targets for a could-be contender.
Andersson is aware of the relentless speculation — how could he not be?
He is, though, doing his best to tune it out.
“I can’t affect anything, right?” Andersson said. “You look at it, I have a six-team no-trade (clause). I mean, there’s still 26 teams. So if they want to move me, they could move me. I could get a call right now. It’s out of my hands.
“I think people know how much I love playing in Calgary,” he continued. “I hate the Oilers more than anyone else. I hate the Canucks more than anyone else. That’s just who I am. I feel like I’ve grown up in this organization, and I’ve always loved playing for it.
“Fans are always going to speculate. Media is going to speculate. That’s part of our job. You know, I get messages every day about getting traded and blah blah blah. I just control what I can control. It’s up to Conny and Don (Maloney), what they want to do with me. I hope I’m staying. I have always loved playing for this team, and that will never change.
“But that’s the thing, right? I have zero say in it. Six teams, that’s nothing in this league. So if I think about it, it’s not going to be good. I haven’t got that indication from anybody around here that I’m not going to be here. We’ll see what happens, but hopefully I’m here on March 8.”
Andersson, a second-round pick back in 2015, is coming up on a decade in the Flames organization. He’ll hit the 500-game plateau in just over a week.
He is on his way to leading his squad in icetime per game for a fourth straight season and also is on his way to represent Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
He has the sort of edge and intensity that every playoff-bound bunch would love a little more of, has a right-handed curve on his stick and has a bargain cap-hit of $4.55 million US.
His current contract runs out at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, which means he is not eligible to sign an extension until this July.
Those on Team Trade Him don’t want to wait that long. Those on the Keep Him Crew will point out if you swap him to another city, you’re immediately shopping for a dude with so many of the same qualities.
True, the Flames have a pair of highly touted righty rearguards in their prospect pipeline, but Hunter Brzustewicz is 20, Zayne Parekh turns 19 next month and we hear all the time about the patience that is required with up-and-coming defenceman.
“At the end of the day, it’s mostly fans speculating,” Andersson said. “You know, if (NHL insider Elliotte) Friedman were to throw my name out, that’s when I would probably have to call my agent and ask what’s going on. But it hasn’t happened yet. There’s always passionate fans that think they can get a king’s ransom for me. Obviously that’s flattering.
“But as I’ve said, I’ve always loved playing for the Flames. Whatever happens, I can’t control it. It’s not in my hands, so I try not to think about it too much.”
What he’s thinking about is leading this hard-working bunch to an unlikely playoff berth.
Remember, everyone outside the locker room insisted that the 2024-25 Flames would stink. And yet, heading into Friday’s action, they were just one point back of the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
Andersson, who lumps 2021-22 and this current campaign together as “the two best groups inside of a locker room that I’ve been a part of,” wants to see it through.
“Playoffs in Calgary, it’s a different animal,” he said. “It’s something I love. You know, we have such good fans, you want to give back to them by being in a good playoff run. So keep battling.”