Flames Must Resist Trade Temptation

Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is at the center of the NHL offseason discussions. The 28-year-old puck-mover has played his entire career with the Flames, but as one of the most underrated right-shot defenders in the league, he’s a highly sought after player. His name has been floated in trade talks for the past few seasons, but this summer there is a renewed emphasis on a possible move.

The Flames must resist the temptation to trade their top defender, even as league interest grows. The temptation will only grow as the season begins and progresses. Andersson is entering the final season his current contract and carries a salary cap hit of $4.55 million. It's incredible value for a player capable of playing 20+ minutes a night on either of the top two defensive pairs. He can run a power play and kill penalties as well, making him a strong defenseman in all situations and zones. It's no surprise then, that multiple teams around the NHL have been linked and rumored to be pursuing the Flames' veteran.

The calls will be numerous and often for Flames General Manager Craig Conroy, but he must resist. The Flames impressed the NHL last season. They missed the postseason, but were in contention until the very end. Their 96 points were tied with the St. Louis Blues for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but the Blues held the tiebreaker and edged out the Flames. This isn't a team that's down and out, destined to keep losing. They are right on the edge of the postseason.

That’s why they can’t part with their best defender. Andersson is a pillar for the team. He’s the best puck-mover from the back end and is still in his prime. Unless the Flames viewed last season as an anomaly, there is simply no reason to make their roster worse.

That’s what trading Andersson away would do. Even if they net a draft pick and prospect or swap him for a scoring forward, it will still leave a hole in their roster. Without him, their blue line would go from average to one of the weakest in the NHL.

There is one other huge variable in all of this, and that is the contract negotiations between Andersson and Calgary. If the two camps are on opposite ends of the spectrum regarding contract wants, it may leave the Flames no choice. The state of their negotiations hasn’t yielded a new deal yet, and there is a creeping deadline approaching.

But the Flames have shown a willingness to lock up their core players. Earlier in the summer, they extended defender Kevin Bahl, upping his cap hit to $5.35 million for the next six seasons. If they were willing to give Bahl that, why wouldn't they be willing to give a similar deal to a more proven and reliable player in Andersson?