NHL Trade Rumors: Flames and Senators Could Become Trade Partners

A potential trade could be brewing between the Flames and Senators that could see Rasmus Andersson heading to the nation's capital

With veteran blueliner Nick Jensen undergoing offseason surgery, with no guarantees that he'll be ready for training camp, the Ottawa Senators should be in the market for a right-shot defenseman this offseason, as noted by Bruce Garrioch in the Ottawa Sun.

Meanwhile, out west, the Calgary Flames have a veteran D who is entering the final year of his contract, and is about to become mighty expensive to re-sign.

With that confluence of events, Garrioch sees a potential trade brewing between the Flames and Senators that could see Rasmus Andersson heading to the nation's capital in return for, potentially, center Shane Pinto.

The Senators were one of several teams that kicked the tires during the season with the Calgary Flames on defenceman Rasmus Andersson, and his future is to be determined.
The expectation is he’ll get somewhere in the $8 million range (or more) on his next deal, which is why the Flames are expected to move him this summer so they can get something in return. Two league executives believe the Flames have some level of interest in centre Shane Pinto.

Garrioch qualifies that by insisting that it's "only speculation", but it sounds like something of that nature could be a fair deal for both parties.

Would the Senators trade Shane Pinto in a deal for Rasmus Andersson?

Pinto, 24, had his second 20-goal season in his two full NHL campaigns in the last three years. He's going into the final year of his bridge deal at $3.75 million, and will need to be re-signed next summer as a restricted free agent.

As for Andersson, he's also entering a contract year, as the 28-year-old's six-year deal with a $4.55M cap hit is coming to an end after next season. If the Senators are going to have to shell out a contract in the $8 million AAV range, perhaps they'd prefer to do so with a defenseman.

The Flames' shot-blocking D-man had 31 points this season while logging 24 minutes of ice time a night once again, and throwing his body in front of a career-high 196 shots.

Jensen will be turning 35 in September, and there's no telling how he'll recover from his lower-body surgery, which is speculated to have been on his hip or knee.

But as for the return in any potential Andersson deal, Garrioch says, "We’re not convinced that the Senators want to move Pinto because he’s reliable and can play on any of the club’s top three lines."