Rasmus Andersson speaks out about offseason trade noise

This summer has been quiet for the Calgary Flames, as this year’s offseason has frankly been a snore. Besides the draft and free agency, fans haven’t had much to talk about. Regarding the Flames, it wasn’t going to be a busy offseason per se, but one storyline has consistently been the topic of conversation for Flames fans: the future of Rasmus Andersson

The consensus among fans and insiders was that Andersson’s time as a Flame was going to be coming to an end. After his postseason media availability and insider reports, the speculation began on where the Swedish defenceman was going to be heading. Virtually everyone expected an Andersson trade to happen sooner rather than later, but here we are continuing to talk about it as Andersson remains with the Flames as of right now.

Since then, not much information has come out regarding this matter. However recently, Andersson himself has spoken. He has publicly made comments regarding the issue, which have caught the attention of fans yet again.

Andersson weighs in on the situation with Flames

Via a Swedish sports outlet, Andersson has publicly commented on the ongoing situation between himself and the Flames. Here are some of the comments he made, which are translated from Swedish:

Andersson denies only giving Flames one trade destination

Andersson has a six-team no-trade list. However given his status as a pending UFA, it gives him more power to dictate his trade destination. Andersson can simply say that he won’t extend with the team that trades for him if it’s not a preferred destination long-term.

A report was made earlier that reportedly, the only team Andersson was willing to sign with was the Vegas Golden Knights. He has since denied that notion with the statement below:

“I have still been very appreciated in Calgary for a long time. Then some insider comes with wrong information and then the fans believe it, because they are right about a lot of other things they do and I understand that that is their job. But I have not given Calgary a team, that I only want to sympathize with a team. That is not true. I have one year left on my contract. I’ll address that issue in a year, not today.”

Andersson admits to nixing earlier trade

The article then goes on to ask Andersson about a reported trade proposal from the Los Angeles Kings. The offer was so good that it would’ve “taken your breath away,” and Andersson knew what the offer was. He states that a team did make a good offer, but he won’t say who that team was. The problem was that Andersson was not interested in moving his family to the city of said team, and therefore nixed the trade.

“I thought about a lot of things. I talked to my family and thought that right then and there I wasn’t really keen on moving my family there and signing a long-term contract, that’s what it all came down to. I communicated that decision to Calgary. I said if you want to trade me, this is the number of teams I can think of signing for. But this wasn’t one of them.”

Flames have been in zero contact with Andersson since trade offer

Finally, ever since the situation above, Andersson says that he and the team haven’t been in contact.

“I haven’t actually spoken to Calgary since they made the request, which was a month and a half ago. No one has heard back since then. Sometimes you hear a lot, sometimes you hear a little.”

Final takeaways

The article was short, but it offered a bit more insight into what’s been going on behind the scenes with Andersson.

To me, things are very clear: the relationship between Andersson and the Flames has soured. Not being in communication since the trade proposal a month and a half ago is sort of bizarre. Yes I know players have the right to enjoy their summer, but something about it doesn’t sit right with me personally.

Another thing is also for certain: Andersson’s presence with the Flames will continue to be a distraction until this situation is resolved. Going into training camp with Andersson on the roster will be a media magnet, and not for the right reasons. Craig Conroy has shown that he’s a GM who doesn’t appreciate distractions on and off the ice, yet he’ll have a huge one waiting for him come September.

There’s still a chance Andersson gets traded before camp, but at this point I don’t see it. It seems like the Flames have every intention of running back the same group to try and compete again. Andersson is looking like he’ll be trade deadline bait, which is a huge risk for the team. We’ll see what happens, but this situation has exhausted the fanbase greatly.