Calgary Flames teammates Andersson, Backlund swap letters with Team Sweden
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This is a role reversal for two Calgary Flames teammates and close pals.
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Rasmus Andersson will wear the 'C' for Team Sweden at the world hockey championship, while Mikael Backlund will have an 'A' switched on his jersey.
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Backlund is the regular captain in Calgary, with Andersson serving as one of his alternates.
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Den svenska kaptensstyrkan 👏
(C) Rasmus Andersson
(A) Mikael Backlund
(A) Mika Zibanejad
Ikväll kör vi! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lZsljJ8pzv
— Tre Kronor (@Trekronorse) May 9, 2025
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This is pinch-me material for the 28-year-old Andersson — an opportunity to captain his national team on home ice.
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His close buddy Backlund will, without a doubt, be keen to offer a history lesson. In 2018, when he was rocking the 'C,' the Swedes won the title in Denmark.
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'I always dreamed of winning gold for Team Sweden, but I don't think I ever could imagine being captain,' Backlund told Postmedia after that tournament. 'It's amazing, an unbelievable feeling. I was very proud of the guys that we got to raise the trophy. And to be the leader of the team, it was a new experience for me, but I enjoyed it from Day 1.'
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Andersson will now be aiming to repeat that feat, right up to the golden finish.
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The workhorse defenceman has been wearing an 'A' for the Flames for the past three seasons — including two as an official sidekick to Backlund — and continued to show his leadership abilities by playing the final few weeks of the wild-card chase on a fractured ankle. He's often mentioned as a candidate to be Calgary's next captain, although his uncertain future could change that. Andersson has only one year remaining on his current contract and will be traded if the two sides can't hammer out an extension in the coming months.
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The Flames have seven representatives at the world championship. MacKenzie Weegar and coach Ryan Huska are part of Canada's contingent, while Andersson and Backlund are skating for Sweden, Adam Klapka and Dan Vladar are suiting up for Czechia and Sam Honzek is representing Slovakia. Prized defence prospect Zayne Parekh played two pre-tournament games with Canada but has since returned home, which was always the plan when he was invited for the exhibition portion.
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Edmonton Journal
42 minutes ago
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Top insider reports Rasmus Andersson is ‘ready for something new.' How will Flames proceed?
Article content 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. 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. Article content Article content '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.' Impact player Andersson, 28, is about to enter the final year of his current contract. 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. 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. Brzustewicz and Parekh, like Andersson, have right-shot curves on their sticks. Ditto for MacKenzie Weegar, who is signed through 2030-31. Article content 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.' Does that clarity point to the possibility that Andersson, who turns 29 in October, will sooner than later be wearing a different jersey? '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.' While Andersson finished this past season with an ugly minus-38 rating, there should be widespread interest in his services. Rival executives will definitely appreciate that, as the Flames were scratching for a wild-card berth, he was willing to persevere through the pain of a broken fibula. Article content 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. Although his offensive numbers dipped in 2024-25, he still scored 11 goals — each capped with his stare-down celebration — and contributed 20 assists. Potential suitors While Andersson's no-trade protection is limited to a six-team list, he will likely have more control than that. To maximize the return value, the Flames will presumably allow potential suitors to discuss the parameters of an extension. If the rugged rearguard isn't willing to ink a long-term deal in that destination, their interest could cool. Article content Andersson has been mentioned as a potential fit for the Carolina Hurricanes or Dallas Stars, though they are already facing a cap crunch in Big D. Some have wondered if Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving, Andersson's old boss in Calgary, will try to bring him to Toronto. Many Flames fans are playing matchmaker with the Buffalo Sabres, hoping to pry talented winger JJ Peterka away from western New York. With the 2025 NHL Draft less than a week away, trade speculation will continue to heat up. In each of the past two years, Conroy has swapped a veteran player during draft week — sending out Tyler Toffoli in 2023 and Andrew Mangiapane last summer. Both were about to enter the final year on their contracts in Calgary. Conroy has also shown a willingness to wait in that same scenario, as he did with Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, so it's certainly possible Andersson will arrive at training camp in the fall to begin his 10th campaign with the Flames. Latest National Stories
National Post
an hour ago
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Top insider reports Rasmus Andersson is ‘ready for something new.' How will Flames proceed?
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. Article content 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. Article content Article content Article content '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.' Article content Andersson, 28, is about to enter the final year of his current contract. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content Article content Brzustewicz and Parekh, like Andersson, have right-shot curves on their sticks. Ditto for MacKenzie Weegar, who is signed through 2030-31. Article content 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.' Article content Article content Does that clarity point to the possibility that Andersson, who turns 29 in October, will sooner than later be wearing a different jersey? Article content Article content '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.' Article content 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.
Calgary Herald
an hour ago
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Top insider reports Rasmus Andersson is ‘ready for something new.' How will Flames proceed?
Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content Article content '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.' Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content Article content Brzustewicz and Parekh, like Andersson, have right-shot curves on their sticks. Ditto for MacKenzie Weegar, who is signed through 2030-31. Article content Article content 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.' Article content Article content '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.' Article content While Andersson finished this past season with an ugly minus-38 rating, there should be widespread interest in his services. Rival executives will definitely appreciate that, as the Flames were scratching for a wild-card berth, he was willing to persevere through the pain of a broken fibula.
