The Los Angeles Kings have been linked to Calgary Flames defenseman and primary trade candidate Rasmus Andersson.
In an article by The Athletic, NHL insiders Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston played “NHL Trade Matchmaker” with multiple trade candidates. One of those was Andersson, and while LeBrun picked his destination to be Pacific Division opponents, the Vegas Golden Knights, Johnston’s pick was the Kings.
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Los Angeles explored the potential fit for Calgary’s No. 1 D-man over the summer, according to Johnston. During that off-season, Andersson reportedly wasn’t ready to sign an extension for the team looking to acquire him in a trade.
A large part of the happenings of this hypothetical trade is whether Andersson, who is a pending UFA, would sign an extension in a sign-and-trade. The Swede is in the final year of a six-year contract that sees him earn $4.55 million against the salary cap.
Nonetheless, with a reluctance over the off-season, Johnston believes that the “Kings remain a sensible destination with a blue line that could use a jolt.”
This year, Andersson is on track to have one of the best seasons of his 10-year career. In 38 appearances, the 29-year-old has seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points. He’s also averaging a career-high 24:10 of ice time per game, leading the team in that category.
Rasmus Andersson (Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)
With his production this season, he’s on pace to beat his personal bests. In 2021-22, Andersson registered 46 assists and 50 points. In the following campaign, he put up 11 goals and matched that total last season.
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The Flames blueliner is on track to finish the year with 15 goals and 54 points. That suggests he’ll set new highs in goals and points, and will just be shy in the helpers department. However, all that can change as the midway point of the season approaches.
With Andersson having an exceptional season, it’s not going to be a cheap cost for the Kings if they are interested in acquiring the Flames defenseman.
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Nonetheless, as Johnston wrote, Kings GM Ken Holland “has never shied away from taking a big swing during his Hall of Fame career.”
Not long ago, he made a notable deal sending Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round pick. Maybe Holland has another move up his sleeve to help push Los Angeles to another level.
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