Rasmus Andersson<\/a> was celebrating his best friend\u2019s big moment when his phone buzzed with the call that cemented the notion his days with the Flames were numbered.<\/p>\nA trade was lined up, the Los Angeles Kings wanted him, and the Flames were ready to move him. But Andersson, still recovering from a difficult season and unsure where, or if, he wanted to commit long\u2011term, wasn\u2019t ready to sign.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Connie (Flames GM Craig Conroy), \u2018I understand the business side of it, and you have a great offer for me, but at this moment if you really want to trade me I\u2019ll give you a list of seven teams that I would re-sign with,\u2019\u201d said Andersson of the sobering news\u00a0that his ten-year ride with the Flames organization would be coming to an end.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was close with a couple teams after that, but they couldn\u2019t figure out next year. It went into July and every time my phone rang I thought, \u2018is it time?\u2019 After July 15, I didn\u2019t hear anything, so when I went back to Calgary, I just wanted to focus on what I could control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking for the first time about the seven-month saga that led to a 4-for-1 trade to Vegas two weeks ago, the ever-candid defenceman detailed in an hour-long phone interview an emotional journey filled with patience, professionalism and a level of transparency rarely seen from a player in his position.<\/p>\n
It also included three of the toughest days of his career leading up to last month\u2019s swap.<\/p>\n
The emotional wall he hit came mid\u2011January when an apparent deal, complete with the framework for what Elliotte Friedman reported was a seven-year extension worth $63 million in Boston, muddied his mind during a Flames road trip through Chicago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe offer came in with a few parts adjusted I didn\u2019t like with trade protection, and then there was another three days of hearing nothing,\u201d said Andersson, who then suited up against the Islanders for what he, and many others, assumed was his final home game as a Flame, as he high-fived every teammate and saluted the crowd afterwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a mental grind for me for three days. You keep checking your phone, and wondering when it\u2019s going to happen, and then I woke up Sunday and I was like, \u2018I can\u2019t do this anymore, I have to focus on myself and not everything around me.\u2019 I was still pretty proud of the way I played those two games, but on Sunday (Jan. 18) we told them, \u2018let\u2019s hold off on all extension talks right now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Four hours later, he was traded.<\/p>\n
While visiting with a neighbour, Andersson\u2019s phone buzzed six times in succession. Each text he scrolled through included the word Vegas.<\/p>\n
He checked X, which confirmed he was a Golden Knight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf an hour later, Connie called, and I answered the phone saying, \u2018Really? You trade me without even calling?\u2019\u201d he joked, as he knew trade confirmation was being held up by the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe and Connie have that relationship, so we chirp each other all the time. I said, \u2018I hope you got something good for me,\u2019 and he said, \u2018we\u2019re happy with the package.\u2019 All I hope is that it works out for both teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
The playful barbs between Andersson and his GM about his future played out in front of teammates all season long, as the Swedish blue liner continually made light of the Flames\u2019 early contract offer he chose not to counter. He knew that with MacKenzie Weegar signed long term, and prospects Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz tagged as building blocks on the right side, there was no point pretending there\u2019d be room at the Inn for a 29-year-old in search of his rightful payday.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Out of an abundance of respect for the organization that drafted and developed him, Andersson felt strongly about being a good soldier throughout the process, upping his value with his play, while being honest with Conroy as he opened the possibility of signing extensions with seven teams.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest influences on how he handled the uncertainty was Chris Tanev.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember with Tanny, we were out of the playoffs and he told me, \u2018they\u2019re going to trade me now,\u2019\u201d said Andersson, who only had a six-team no-trade clause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really appreciated him telling me that. So I came into the season saying I\u2019m going to keep it honest with these guys, and I did the whole way. I told them everything that was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ongoing speculation on his future never became a distraction, which is a credit to him.<\/p>\n
Still, as always seems to be the case with Andersson, there were bound to be critics.<\/p>\n
As a mass consumer of social media, Andersson saw suggestions he handcuffed the Flames by not signing an extension to up the trade return.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d he said, rejecting the notion outright.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got a first-round pick, a second-rounder that could be a first if we win the Cup, plus they got a prospect and a good player in this league for many years who won the Cup with (Zach) Whitecloud. I think it\u2019s a really good return for the Flames, and hopefully I can make it a really good return for Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the mock apology, which is pure Andersson.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry I\u2019m no Quinn Hughes, where you get eight first-round picks,\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not that player. I think I\u2019m one of the most realistic guys there is. I don\u2019t know how much these people want for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although thrilled to be looking ahead, he hopes when looking back, fans remember the effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope the fans know I gave my all every game, even though last year I had a s— year,\u201d said Andersson, who has bounced back to have the best year of his career.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI broke my leg and I still tried to battle through it so we could make the playoffs. I hope they can remember me for leaving it all on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
He loves Calgary. He loves the fans. He loved being a Flame.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope everyone knows how much I love and respect the organization and all my time there,\u201d said Andersson, who started listing names of on and off-ice folks he misses already.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really grateful for my time there. The organization has done so much for me. I\u2019ve been with them for so long, and I\u2019m so grateful to have gotten a chance to call pretty much everyone in the organization a really good friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, hockey-wise, they are moving in a different direction from my age, so I think it was time for me to move on and time for Calgary to try something different. I think everyone agrees with that. That\u2019s the business side of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I hope is my teammates can say I was honest the whole way, which I think they would. I was honest with the organization with the extension stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully I won\u2019t get booed when I come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least, he shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Unless, of course, he finds a way to punctuate a goal at the Dome next year with his patented stare-down of a fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of my signature,\u201d he laughed when asked if his steely goal celebration will continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun for everyone around it. A lot of people seem to hate it too, which makes me want to do it even more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vegas was indeed one of the seven teams he told Calgary he\u2019d sign with last summer, and he\u2019s ecstatic to join a team hellbent on challenging for another Stanley Cup. He\u2019s open to the possibility of extending his stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s still living out of a hotel, his family is back in Calgary, and his life is in transition as he prepares to join Team Sweden at the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s been a crazy couple weeks,\u201d said Andersson, making good on promises to tell his side of the story.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ve got lots to look forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CALGARY – The beginning of the end didn\u2019t happen in a rink, a meeting room, or a contract…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-455868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}