Rasmus Andersson’s future remains a hot topic in Calgary this summer. The 28-year-old Flames the defender is eligible for the UFA next July.
Contract extension negotiations in June failed to reach an agreement, making him the frequent topic off-season media chatter.
Expressen.se recently reported that Andersson was unimpressed by a media rumor suggesting he would only agree to a trade with the Vegas Golden Knightsclaiming the story was not true. He does not have full trade protection, as he has a roster of six teams without trades.
Andersson also responded to a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger claiming the Flames had received a substantial offer from the Los Angeles Kings. He said he knew what the proposal was but declined to say which team it came from. The defender also indicated that he had given Flames management a list of clubs with which he would agree to sign if he was traded, but that the team that made the offer was not one of them.
According to Andersson, he hasn’t spoken with Flames management since the trade proposal was made over a month and a half ago.
Earlier this summer, Flames general manager Craig Conroy indicated he had spoken with Andersson and there was no problem with him starting this season in Calgary. Nonetheless, the veteran defenseman is expected to be moved at some point before the March trade deadline.
Meanwhile, in Edmonton, much of this summer’s speculation regarding the The tankers focused on their limited options to improve their goaltending depth. However, a more pressing need involves their salary cap space.
PuckPedia noted the Oilers are under the $95.5 million cap by $225,000. Any attempt to add another player will require removing salary as part of the transaction or making a cost-saving trade first.
August 7, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal quoted Oilers insider Bob Stauffer suggests Mattias Janmark could be a trade candidate. The 32-year-old left winger earns an average annual value of $1.45 million through 2026-27, but now plays on the fourth line.
Stauffer thinks the Oilers could shed salary by the start of the season, build up cap space and use it to acquire a player before the trade deadline in March. There might be better options to upgrade between the pipes by then.
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