Calgary Flames Captain Mikael Backlund Fuels Rasmus Andersson Trade Speculation With Bold Statement

Rasmus Andersson's future appears to be beyond Calgary, and now captain Mikael Backlund has all but confirmed the team will trade the star defenseman.

For the past few months, speculation has followed the Calgary Flames and star blue liner Rasmus Andersson, with most fans and analysts expecting the team to trade him at some point.

Despite speculation, that hasn't happened yet as the team are looking to get the highest possible value for him, with some even predicting that the team go into the 2025/26 regular season with Andersson on their roster.

Mikael Backlund confirms Andersson's future in the NHL

In a surprisingly candid interview with The Athletic, Flames captain Mikael Backlund has weighed in on the situation, revealing that it's a matter of when, not if the talented Swedish defenseman will be traded.

Yeah, he's getting traded. It's obvious.

But the team wants value. He wants a big contract. So he wants to play well. The team needs him to play well, so just go out and play.

I talked to him too, and he doesn't want to be a distraction. So it's all good. It's too bad it's come to this. I don't think they're close to getting an agreement or anything, but you never know. Things could change. We'll see.