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Top insider reports Rasmus Andersson is ‘ready for something new.' How will Flames proceed?

Top insider reports Rasmus Andersson is ‘ready for something new.' How will Flames proceed?

National Post5 hours ago

Two of the leading hockey insiders seem to be anticipating a Rasmus Andersson trade, although both say the Calgary Flames are willing to wait on the right offer.
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Andersson's uncertain future is the biggest off-season storyline for the Flames, and the speculation will continue to crank with the latest reports from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
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'The feeling across the league is the talented defenceman is ready for something new,' Friedman wrote in his latest edition of 32 Thoughts. 'I believe the Flames are willing, but only when they get what they want. There's significant interest, which helps.'
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Andersson, 28, is about to enter the final year of his current contract.
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While he's eligible to sign an extension as soon as July 1, that might not make a whole lot of sense for either side.
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The Flames certainly value Andersson's impact — he's an alternate captain, a tone-setter and has led the team in average ice-time in three of the past four seasons — but they also won't want to block the ascent of highly-touted blue-line prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Zayne Parekh, which means they might be hesitant to offer a max-term deal.
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Brzustewicz and Parekh, like Andersson, have right-shot curves on their sticks. Ditto for MacKenzie Weegar, who is signed through 2030-31.
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In an interview earlier this week with Postmedia, Flames general manager Craig Conroy provided this update on Andersson: 'We've been talking to his representation. We understand where they're at and they understand where we're at and we're going through that process, but at least we have some clarity on where we're headed.'
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Does that clarity point to the possibility that Andersson, who turns 29 in October, will sooner than later be wearing a different jersey?
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'Flames and Rasmus Andersson's camp shared $ figures recently and it's fair to say they're not on the same page, as expected,' Seravalli wrote on X, sharing a link to his latest Trade Targets board. 'Calgary is happy to keep him and auction arguably the premier right-shot D option at the deadline. But he's also available now.'
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Now with 500-plus games of NHL experience, Andersson is still in the prime of his career and plays with the sort of jam that every organization covets. It's a major compliment to his leadership abilities that he was named Sweden's captain at the recent world championship tournament, and it only adds to the appeal for any could-be contenders that he is signed for one more season at a very affordable cap-hit of US$4.55 million.

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Riders down Argos 39-32 after Alford's 99-yard kickoff return
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Toronto Blue Jays top Chicago White Sox 7-1 with Bichette's homer, Berrios's solid outing
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