News Flames Team Notes

[JJ]

Look, I gotta be honest here - as an Oilers fan writing for FlamesNation, that's a pretty wild situation but I respect the hustle. And you know what? The analysis ain't wrong.

The Flames are stuck in that brutal no-man's-land where you're not good enough to compete for a Cup but not bad enough to land a franchise-changing talent. That 19-23-4 record tells the whole story. Missing the playoffs on a TIEBREAKER last year? That's gotta sting worse than actually being bad.

That said, Craig Conroy has done some solid work building up that prospect pool. Parekh looks like he's gonna be a stud, and having multiple first-rounders in recent drafts is exactly how you dig yourself out of mediocrity. The Andersson trade is basically inevitable at this point - dude's having a career year on an expiring deal, and getting "the equivalent of two first-round picks" would be robbery in a good way.

Here's what gets me though - the Battle of Alberta NEEDS both teams to be competitive. When the Flames are good and we're good, that rivalry is absolutely ELECTRIC. Some of the best hockey you'll ever watch. Right now it's just us dunking on a rebuilding team and that ain't as fun.

The 2026 and 2027 drafts look absolutely STACKED. If Calgary can bottom out properly (not this wishy-washy stuff), grab a McKenna or someone similar, they could be back in contention right when that new arena opens. Smart timing if they can pull it off.

But let's be real - tanking is easier said than done. You still gotta develop your young guys, keep Wolf sharp, and not completely destroy the culture. It's a tightrope walk.

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames trade rumours: What could a Rasmus Andersson trade with the Detroit Red Wings look like?

Stay calm, everyone. We may finally be on the brink of a Rasmus Andersson trade, potentially ending multiple years of rumours and speculation and everything that comes with the process. However, since a deal hasn’t been completed yet, there’s still time to continue exploring different scenarios of what an Andersson trade could look like for the Calgary Flames.

That brings us to the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit has openly been in the market for a top-four defenceman for some time now. They’re looking for a reliable presence who can help lead their young defensive core and bring some relief to Moritz Seider.

The Red Wings were reportedly in on former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes, but when extension-related issues arose, they pulled out of the race. Hughes eventually landed with the Minnesota Wild.

As a result, Detroit remains in the market for a defenceman and is expected to become increasingly aggressive as the trade deadline approaches and the club looks to make a deep playoff run.

There are other names available that Detroit could pursue, including Dougie Hamilton or Erik Karlsson, but Andersson appears to be an ideal fit — especially if the Red Wings can lock him up with an extension.

With that in mind, let’s dive into a couple of potential trade scenarios between Detroit and Calgary.

Scenario #1​

Let’s start with the most obvious option, one that’s been circulating in the rumour mill of late.

To Calgary:
– Nate Danielson
– 2026 first-round pick

To Detroit:
– Rasmus Andersson (50 per cent salary retained)

This would be a dream scenario for the Flames. They would land a high-end, right-shot centre prospect along with a first-round pick in an upcoming draft. That aligns with the Flames’ reported desire for a return equivalent to two first-round picks, considering Danielson was selected ninth overall in the 2023 NHL draft.

The 21-year old Edmonton native began his first NHL season with the Red Wings this year. In 28 games, Danielson recorded two goals and five assists before it was determined he needed more time to develop his game. He was subsequently assigned to the AHL, where he has matched that production in seven games with the Bakersfield Condors.

Calgary would almost certainly need to retain salary in this scenario to lower Andersson’s cap hit and make the deal more appealing to Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman. 50% seems like a good place to start – making Andersson cap hit just $2.275 million.

You’d also have to assume Yzerman would only agree to this trade if an extension with Andersson was already in place or close to being finalized.

While reports later suggested this scenario was baseless (or at the very least, very speculative), it still represents a deal that checks boxes for both sides — and for Calgary, it could be the best possible offer available.

Scenario #2​

To Calgary:
– Carter Mazur
– Michael Rasmussen
– 2026 second-round pick

To Detroit:
– Rasmus Andersson

When the deadline pressure ramps up, the Flames may ultimately have to take the best offer on the table — and it could look something like this.

In this scenario, Calgary would acquire Detroit’s No. 8-ranked prospect in Mazur. The 23-year old winger has spent the entire season in the AHL but has appeared in just five games after suffering a lower-body injury early on. In his five games, he’s impressed with four goals and two assists.

The Flames would also receive a reliable NHL player in Rasmussen. His inclusion would largely be for cap purposes, but Calgary could either slot him into the lineup as a dependable penalty killer who can contribute offensively, or flip him to another team to recoup additional assets.

Then there’s the draft pick. This type of deal feels more like a deadline-day outcome — the best offer available at the time. Yzerman is unlikely to move a first-round pick without certainty on an Andersson extension. If that is the case a second rounder may be the best they can get.

Calgary likely wouldn’t need to retain much salary here, as taking on Rasmussen and Mazur would mean absorbing more money than they’re sending out. That said, the Flames have the cap flexibility to retain a small portion if it helps get the deal done or if it inclines Yzerman to upgrade the second round pick to a first.

What do you think? Does Detroit have the best assets in a potential Andersson trade? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...on-trade-with-the-detroit-red-wings-look-like

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames Game Day 47: Closing out the road trip in Chicago (6:30pm MT, SNW)

After being on the road since last week, the only thing between the Calgary Flames (19-23-4, 42 points) and sleeping in their own beds is 60 minutes (or more) of hockey against the Chicago Blackhawks (19-20-7, 45 points). And a plane ride home. Well, the Flames will look to finish off their five game road trip on a winning note against Chicago, a team that has run their show so far this season.

Today’s broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

The Flames​

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff (and Sportsnet’s Derek Wills):

Connor Zary – Nazem Kadri – Adam Klapka
Jonathan Huberdeau – Morgan Frost – Joel Farabee
Yegor Sharangovich – Mikael Backlund – Matt Coronato
Ryan Lomberg – Justin Kirkland – Dryden Hunt

Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
Yan Kuznetsov – MacKenzie Weegar
Joel Hanley – Hunter Brzustewicz

Based on Wills’ intel from morning skate, it sounds like Devin Cooley starts in net, backed up by Dustin Wolf. The healthy extras for the Flames are William Stromgren and Brayden Pachal. Dryden Hunt comes into the lineup after being called up on Wednesday. And there’s been a swap of centres, with Nazem Kadri and Morgan Frost switching lines.

It’s been a rough road trip for the Flames, continuing a rough start to 2026. They’re 1-3-0 on the road trip, with their lone win being a low-scoring grind of a game in Pittsburgh. In this calendar year, they’re 1-5-0 and have been out-scored 23-11 in the process. Only two Flames have scored more than one goal in 2026: Connor Zary and Rasmus Andersson, and the team has struggled to generate a lot offensively.

Simply put: the Flames need to find ways to score goals, and fast, if they want their playoff hopes to remain a possibility.

The Blackhawks​

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Ryan Greene – Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
Tyler Bertuzzi – Jason Dickinson – Ilya Mikheyev
Ryan Donato – Oliver Moore – Nick Lardis
Nick Foligno – Colton Dach – Landon Slaggert

Alex Vlasic – Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser – Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk – Connor Murphy

We’re projecting Spencer Knight to start in net, backed up by Arvid Soderblom. Chicago’s lone healthy extra is Sam Lafferty. (Chicago’s had a flu bug go through their room recently.)

Chicago is 5-2-0 in 2026. And even better, they’ve recently gotten Connor Bedard back in their lineup a couple games ago. (Then he missed a game with the flu, but we digress…) In two games against the Flames this season, Bedard has a casual four goals and seven points. Chicago’s scored nine times against the Flames this season, and Bedard has a hand in seven of those goals. So, uh, watch that guy.

Unavailable players​

The Flames are without Martin Pospisil, Sam Honzek, Jake Bean, John Beecher, Zayne Parekh and Blake Coleman.

The Blackhawks are without Shea Weber, Ryan Ellis, Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen.

The numbers​

Flames	Blackhawks
19	Wins	19
42 (.457)	Points (%)	45 (.489)
49.7% (17th)	xGF%	45.1% (30th)
15.4% (29th)	PP%	22.9% (7th)
82.0% (9th)	PK%	85.2% (2nd)

Head to head​

This is the third and final meeting between these teams this season. The Blackhawks won both earlier games by a combined 9-2 score.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-game-day-47-closing-out-the-road-trip-in-chicago-630pm-mt-snw

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames close out road trip with victory in Chicago

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

The Calgary Flames closed out their five game road trip on Thursday night with a visit to the United Center to face the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago scored early, but the Flames locked things down and controlled much of the flow of the game from there on out.

The Flames beat Chicago by a 3-1 score.

The rundown​

The Blackhawks opened the scoring 2:38 into the game, scoring on their second shot of the game. Off the rush, Colton Dach found some space and then found Nick Foligno in the slot area, and Foligno fired the puck past Devin Cooley to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.

Nick Foligno opens the scoring for Chicago.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/k3x7HRexk0

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 16, 2026

Just after that goal, Nazem Kadri drew a minor. On the resulting power play, Connor Zary drove the net with the puck. He didn’t score but the chaos created by his net drive led to a Yegor Sharangovich goal on the scramble in front to tie the game at 1-1 (and give the Flames their fourth power play goal in two games).

FLAMES GOAL

The power play remains hot for the Flames! Yegor Sharangovich ties this game up on the man advantage.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/flOSr3Ed6h

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 16, 2026

Just after that, MacKenzie Weegar took a penalty. On the resulting power play… Calgary scored again! This time, Mikael Backlund made an astute poke check in the neutral zone, stealing the puck away from Andre Burakovsky and then racing into the Chicago zone, making a quick deke and firing the puck past Spencer Knight to give the Flames a 2-1 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Mikael Backlund scores a short handed beauty! He is playing some of the best hockey of his career.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/pITObw7iCg

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 16, 2026

First period shots were 9-6 Blackhawks. Via Natural Stat Trick, 5v5 scoring chances were 5-3 Blackhawks and high-danger scoring chances were 3-0 Blackhawks.

Neither team scored in the second period. The period was fairly even, though also fairly low event.

The highlights of the frame were some big hits and some post-whistle extra-curriculars.

Joel Farabee drops the gloves with Connor Murphy

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/ZpI7xmi5QO

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 16, 2026

Kevin Bahl lays out Oliver Moore with a huge hit!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/Rx5dqpfBXc

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 16, 2026

Second period shots were 11-9 Flames. 5v5 scoring chances were 8-7 Flames and high-danger scoring chances were 5-3 Flames.

The Blackhawks pressed in the third period, but the Flames did a really nice job avoiding getting hemmed into their own end.

Matt Coronato scored an empty-netter late to give the Flames a 3-1 victory.

Third period shots were 6-5 Flames.

Why the Flames won​

How do we say this politely? Uh, the Flames suckered Chicago into playing their style of game. This was a low-event, tight-checking game of hockey. You could argue that it was also a fairly dull 60 minutes of hockey too. This was the type of game the Flames needed during a stretch where they haven’t been scoring a ton, especially on the road.

And when your special teams out-score the other teams by a 2-0 margin, that’s usually a recipe for a win.

Red Warrior​

Mikael Backlund had a couple points in the first chunk of this game, and generally played very well.

Turning point​

Let’s give it to the Flames scoring back-to-back special teams goals in the first period. The Flames got down early and you could be forgiven if you had uttered the phrase “Here we go again…” But the Flames grabbed the lead before those words could probably be uttered.

This and that​

Devin Cooley, now seemingly recovered his illness-fuelled week, started for the second time on this road trip.

Mikael Backlund assisted on Yegor Sharangovich’s first period goal, which gave him his 366th assist with the Flames, putting him past Mark Giordano into sixth place on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard.

Mikael Backlund factored on both goals in the opening frame, and collected his 367th career assist to pass Mark Giordano (366) for the sixth most in @NHLFlames history. #NHLStats

Tune in : https://t.co/dT34F4MhkC pic.twitter.com/1MIdvBiSAp

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 16, 2026

After Burner​

Join Mike Gould and myself right after the game for After Burner!

Up next​

The Flames (20-23-4) are headed home. They host the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon to kick off a five game homestand.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a Presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the best warranty in the business with ten year warranties available. Check out the showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-close-out-road-trip-with-victory-in-chicago

 

[Calgary Flames]

Series preview: Wranglers host the Condors for the battle of the AHL’s best rookies

The Calgary Wranglers kick off a four game homestand on Friday and are looking for a big push through the second half of the season. The Flames’ AHL squad has faced some challenges over the past few weeks and are struggling to get things done in regulation. As conversations around the playoff picture start to loom, they need some improvement to guarantee they qualify. The Wranglers only have two wins in their last 10 games but have been picking up points outside of regulation. Their record is creeping below .500 with a 15-14-7-2 season record and a sixth place spot in the Pacific Division standings.

Last game’s lines​

Calgary

Dryden Hunt (inactive) – Sam Morton – Matvei Gridin

Aydar Suniev – Rory Kerins – Martin Frk

Carter King – Clark Bishop – David Silye

Alex Gallant – Parker Bell

Artem Grushnikov – Daniil Miromanov

Nick Cicek – Jeremie Poirier

Turner Ottenbreit – Simon Mack

Etienne Morin

Arsenii Sergeev (starter)

Connor Murphy

Bakersfield

James Stefan (inactive) – Viljami Marjala – Seth Griffith

Daniel D’Amato – James Hamblin – Quinn Hutson

Brady Stonehouse – Sam Poulin – Rem Pitlick

Matthew Brown – Matt Copponi (inactive) – Ethan Keppen

Damien Carfagna – Beau Akey

Riley Stillman – Josh Brown

Mason Millman – Tyson Feist

Connor Ungar (starter)

Matt Tomkins

Leaders​

Calgary

Rory Kerins – 35GP, 13G, 20A

Martin Frk – 38GP, 14G, 17A

Dryden Hunt – 26GP, 11G, 20A

Bakersfield

Quinn Hutson – 30GP, 23G, 15A

Seth Griffith – 35GP, 11G, 25A

Viljami Marjala – 35GP, 10G, 22A

Notes and expectations​

There was a little bit of roster action this week for the Wranglers. On Tuesday, it was announced that Martin Pospisil was ready to return from the injury that has kept him away from game action at any level this season so far. He joined the Wranglers on a conditioning loan and practiced with the team this week. He is expected to play in one or both games. Also assigned to the team on Tuesday was Xavier Bernard from the Rapid City Rush. Bernard is a left-shot defenceman with 12 points in 33 games with the Rush this season.

On Wednesday, Dryden Hunt was called up to the Flames again, leaving Carter Wilkie and Lucas Ciona as other remaining forward options currently on the roster. Connor Murphy is also still with Calgary after Owen Say took himself out about halfway through his game in Abbotsford last Saturday. Say’s status is a lower body injury with no timeline attached to it yet.

For the roster that remains, good news came out this week for rookie, Matvei Gridin. On Thursday, he was announced as the Wranglers representative for the AHL All-Star game. This year’s event is hosted by the Rockford IceHogs in Rockford, IL and will be on Feb. 10 and 11. Gridin is third in scoring by active Wranglers with 10 goals and 18 assists in 32 games. Despite missing some time to start the season with the Flames and a minor injury last month, he still stands at second in rookie scoring in the league. He’s 10 points behind Quinn Huston, who will be Bakersfield’s All-Star selection and on the ice against Calgary this weekend.

This home series for Calgary starts on Friday at 7:00 p.m. MT and wraps up on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. matinee game. Tickets are still available to catch the AHL’s battle between the Flames and Oilers affiliates and streaming options are available for a fee on FloHockey. FlamesNation contributors Ryan Pike and I will have updates on X (formerly Twitter).

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/series...ndors-for-the-battle-of-the-ahls-best-rookies

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flashback Friday: Looking back at the Noah Hanifin trade

It seems like sooner rather than later, the Calgary Flames will trade Rasmus Andersson.

The last time they were sellers ahead of a trade deadline was back in 2023-24. They traded two defencemen at the deadline, Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights and Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars. The latter turned out to be a light return, while the former is what we’ll look at in this edition of Flashback Friday.

Andersson is in a similar situation to Hanifin. Ahead of the 2024 deadline, Hanifin was in the final season of his contract, but in the age range where any trade probably includes a long-term extension. On Mar. 6, the Flames found a trade for the Boston native, sending him to the Golden Knights for their 2026 first-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick, and Daniil Miromanov.

There were some additional conditions to the trade. The first was originally the 2025 first rounder, but the Golden Knights traded that pick for Tomáš Hertl around the same time, pushing the pick the Flames got to 2026. Hanifin also had 75% of his contract retained, 50% by the Flames and 25% by the Philadelphia Flyers. The left-shot defenceman also signed an eight-year, $7.35 million extension later that season.

Prior to the trade, Hanifin had scored 11 goals and 35 points in 11 games, with a plus/minus of +13. Funnily enough, Andersson has similar numbers, scoring 10 goals and 29 points in just 47 games with the Flames this year. Anyway, after the trade, Hanifin added two goals and 12 points in 19 games. In the seven-game first round series against the Tanev and the Stars, Hanfiin scored twice and had five points.

Last season, he scored 10 goals and 39 points in 80 games, then added a goal and five points in 11 post-season games. Through 36 games this season, Hanifin has two goals and 19 points. It’s been a pretty solid get for the Golden Knights, as they continue to contend for first in the Pacific Division.

Okay, but what about what the Flames received? Well, the first will be settled in June, with the pick likely being in the 24-32 range. Miromanov is still with the Flames’ organization, playing 32 games with their American Hockey League team where he has five goals and 15 points in 32 games. Once Andersson is traded, a logical replacement would be Miromanov.

Additionally, the third round pick in 2024 was used to select Russian netminder Kirill Zarubin. This season with Mikhailov Academy, a team in Russia’s junior league, the 20-year-old has a .929 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average.

It’s also worth noting that the Hanifin trade is part of the larger and ongoing Curtis Glencross trade tree. After trading him for a 2015 second-rounder, the Flames use that pick to acquire Dougie Hamiton, who was traded with Adam Fox and Michael Ferland to the Carolina Hurricanes for Hanifin and Elias Lindholm.

Like Hanifin, Lindholm was traded ahead of the 2024 trade deadline for Hunter Bruzstewicz, Joni Jurmo, Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2024 first (Matvei Gridin), and a fourth-rounder. That fourth-rounder was traded for a fifth and sixth, with the Flames selecting Luke Misa and Eric Jamieson respectively.

On Jan. 31, 2025, the Flames sent Kuzmenko to the Flyers for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. That means there are eight players currently in the Flames system involved in the Glencross trade tree, not including the 2026 first or Joni Jurmo.

The upcoming Andersson trade is part of an entirely different tree stemming from trading Sven Baertschi, but the Hanifin trade is a potential comparison for the what the Flames could get for Andersson.

---

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flashback-friday-looking-back-at-the-noah-hanifin-trade

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames roster news: Matvei Gridin recalled from AHL’s Wranglers, William Stromgren returned to AHL

In advance of their match-up on Saturday afternoon against their expansion cousins, the New York Islanders, the Calgary Flames have made a pair of roster moves – in addition to the simultaneously-announced conditioning stint for Zayne Parekh. The club has announced that they’ve recalled forward Matvei Gridin from the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers and, in a corresponding move, they’ve assigned forward William Stromgren back to the Wranglers.

Both Gridin and Stromgren are waiver exempt this season, so they can be moved freely between the NHL and AHL.

Gridin, 19, was a first-round selection by the Flames back in 2024. He’s in his first year of pro hockey and actually made the Flames’ roster out of training camp, scoring his first career NHL goal on opening night – his pass to the slot, intended for Matt Coronato, bonked into the Edmonton net off Noah Philp’s skate. Gridin played six games and had one goal, playing in the Flames’ top nine. He went down to the Wranglers in mid-October and has had a ton of success, posting 10 goals and 28 points over 32 games. He was named to the AHL’s All-Star Classic earlier this week.

Stromgren, 22, was a second-round selection by the Flames in 2021. He’s in his third year of North American pro hockey. He was called up by the Flames back on Jan. 5. He’s played on the fourth line and has been okay, but his underlyings have been pretty rough. In three NHL games, he has zero points. In 33 games with the Wranglers, he posted six goals and 29 points.

Here’s how the Flames’ 23-man active roster looks right now, after this swap:

• Goaltenders [2]: Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley
• Defencemen [8]: Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Yan Kuznetsov, MacKenzie Weegar, Joel Hanley, Brayden Pachal, Hunter Brzustewicz and Zayne Parekh (in AHL on conditioning stint)
• Forwards [13]: Connor Zary, Nazem Kadri, Adam Klapka, Jonathan Huberdeau, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Yegor Sharangovich, Mikael Backlund, Matt Coronato, Ryan Lomberg, Justin Kirkland, Dryden Hunt and Matvei Gridin
• Injury Reserve List [5]: Sam Honzek, Blake Coleman, Jake Bean, John Beecher and Martin Pospisil (in AHL on long-term injury conditioning stint)

Of the players on the active roster, Brzustewicz, Hunt and Gridin all do not currently require waivers and can be swapped to and from the AHL as needed.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...s-wranglers-william-stromgren-returned-to-ahl

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames trade rumours: Bruins reportedly only team with permission to talk extension with Rasmus Andersson

On Saturday afternoon, Calgary Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson played a team-high 25:40 in a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders.

Following the game, a visibly emotional Andersson hugged his teammates as they left the ice at the end of the game, which some may take as a clue that perhaps this was Andersson’s last game with the Flames. Or at the very least, one of his final games.

With trade talks reportedly heating up, no pun intended, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided an update on Andersson’s situation – his second such update of Saturday’s Hockey Day in Canada broadcast – during the weekly Saturday Headlines segment.

A #HockeyDay edition of Saturday Headlines with @FriedgeHNIC pic.twitter.com/GxNFr47wup

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 18, 2026

Here’s Friedman:

I think everyone’s kind of wondering where this is going to go. Here’s what we can tell you. One phone call can change everything, that’s the caveat, but nothing is expected tonight with Rasmus Andersson.

The Flames have called around to a bunch of teams that were interested or other teams that maybe they hadn’t heard as much from yet, I heard today, and they said ‘we want to decide if we’re going to proceed with this, so we want everybody’s most serious offer.’ So that is happening.

The team that appears to be in the driver’s seat, though nothing is done until it’s done, is Boston. Boston is very serious about its offer. And nobody is confirming or denying this, but I believe they are the only team that has been given permission to talk to Andersson, and I do believe they’ve done some pretty significant extension talks. Although again, nothing is done before it’s done. Both things have to work out. The Bruins are not believe to be interested in this without an extension.

Vegas is there. It’s not believed that their offer is as strong as Boston’s, that’s for now, that can always change. But the thing that Vegas has is that they like Andersson and he likes them. I don’t think Vegas is worried at all that if they could trade fro him or he got to the summer, he would have a great chance to get him. But for now, their offer is not seen, from what I’m hearing, as strong.

I think Dallas has been around there. I think Toronto’s been around there. And I’m always worried after what happened with Quinn Hughes going to Minnesota, that there’s teams out there that I’m not seeing. But right now, from what I can tell, and I think this is true, Boston’s the only team that has permission to talk to him.

Andersson is a pending unrestricted free agent. He and the Flames reportedly have a mutual desire to consummate a trade before the Olympic trade freeze kicks in on Feb. 4.

The Flames are back in action on Monday night when they host the New Jersey Devils.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...ssion-to-talk-extension-with-rasmus-andersson

 

[Calgary Flames]

Could Leo Carlsson’s injury send Mikael Backlund to the Olympics?

Gang, injuries to National Hockey League players are never good news. On Friday, the Anaheim Ducks announced that centre Leo Carlsson had to undergo surgery for a lower body injury and he’s slated to be out for 3-5 weeks.

Carlsson’s a really promising young player and he’s become an important player for the Ducks. He’s so important and prolific that he was named to Sweden’s national men’s team for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

However, with Carlsson needing surgery, the timeline for his recovery creeps into the window for the Olympic men’s hockey tournament. While it hasn’t been announced or officially confirmed, it seems probable that Carlsson may miss the Olympics due to his injury.

And that begs the question: if Carlsson isn’t good to go to Italy for the Olympics, who would be replacing him on Team Sweden?

Could it be Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund?

Carlsson’s a 21-year-old left shot centre who’s now into his third full NHL season with the Ducks. He’s progressed really quickly offensively and has spent much of this season on a line with Chris Kreider and Troy Terry, playing against some of the opposition’s toughest players but getting a steady diet of offensive zone starts, too. In 44 games, Carlsson has 18 goals and 44 points.

Meanwhile, Backlund is a 36-year-old left shot centre who’s now into his 16th full NHL season with the Flames. Backlund has been one of the NHL’s most reliable 200-foot centres since around 2016-17 and regularly appearing on Selke Trophy ballots. He’s having a strong offensive season, with 12 goals and 31 points through 48 games. He’s played in a checking role for the past decade, usually with a steady diet of defensive zone starts against the opposition’s top players, plus he’s one of the better penalty-killers in the NHL.

If Carlsson can’t go, the decision will probably depend on what role the Swedish brass is looking to fill. The three Swedish forwards with the most points that weren’t named to Team Sweden were Minnesota winger Marcus Johansson (34 points), Backlund (31 points) and San Jose winger William Eklund (30 points). If they want a two-way, checking centre, Backlund’s probably their guy. If they’re looking for wingers or players that are more offensively oriented, perhaps they go another way.

Backlund has previously represented Sweden at 10 major international events, most recently captaining them to a World Championship back in 2018. He turns 37 in March, so it’s reasonable to call the 2026 event probably his last chance to represent Sweden at an Olympics.

We’ll see if he ends up making it to Italy after all.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/could-leo-carlssons-injury-send-mikael-backlund-to-the-olympics