Calgary Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson may be the best blueliner on the trade market this season, but he has no interest in leaving his team - especially for the rival Oilers or Canucks.
The Oilers have been connected to Andersson in trade this season, but reports surfaced that Flames ownership may block a trade to their Canadian rivals.
In a new interview with Sportsnet today, Rasmus Andersson said he'd understand if he was traded, but wants to remain a Flame for life.
"I love playing here I hate the Oilers, I hate the Canucks and that's just the way I am. Of course I would love to stay here, but I've heard from everyone else who has been in my situation that it's a business. So we'll see what happens."- Rasmus Andersson
It's not shocking to hear a rival like Andersson say outright that he hates the Edmonton Oilers, but it surely will take him off the board entirely.
Last season the Oilers were connected to Chris Tanev, but in a similar situation, the Flames refused to deal him to Edmonton.
Rasmus Andersson Publicly Refuses Trade to the Edmonton Oilers
While the Flames are so far saying that they won't be trading Andersson at all, that seems to be a pattern of the team in recent years.
Flames fans pulled quotes of the team denying any trades for Matthew Tkachuk, Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and more. Regardless of what they say, Andersson will likely be traded.
Unfortunately for Edmonton, Andersson may be the best player available. He's an effective two-way player, and can also get in on physical antics when the temperature of a game dials up.
Still, he can be a bit of a sideshow too, evident by this ridiculous embellishment against Leon Draisaitl last year.
The 28 year old Swedish defenceman is having a quality season with 18 points in 40 games, and under contract at a manageable price of $4.5M for the next two seasons.
At the end of the day, this comment will just be extra motivation for the Oilers to run up the score on the Flames next time they meet.
