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The Bruins could be on the cusp of making a major addition to their defense, with the club locked in as one of the teams interested in Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson.
On Saturday morning, TSN’s Darren Dreger posted that the Bruins and Golden Knights, along with two other unnamed clubs, were pushing hard for Andersson. Dreger named Boston and Vegas as the “strong contenders” of the group. Later in the day, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned something similar, and even said that the Bruins were “in the driver’s seat” when it came to a move for the 29-year-old defenseman during his ‘Saturday headlines’ segment on Hockey Night In Canada.
Friedman also noted that he believes that the B’s are the only team that’s been given permission to talk to Andersson about a potential long-term extension. That’s a key for the B’s, too, you would think, as Andersson is a pending unrestricted free agent.
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The belief out there, as of right now, is that a move for Andersson would see the Bruins part with some combination of Matthew Poitras, Mason Lohrei, and a draft pick. On Saturday, a league source told 985TheSportsHub.com that they do believe that the Bruins do have the best offer on the table from a Calgary point of view, but noted some reluctance on the part of the Bruins to part with a 2026 first-round pick.
The right-shooting Andersson has spent his entire NHL career with the Flames, and has posted 10 goals and 30 points, along with a plus-3 rating, through 48 games this season. Andersson is also averaging a career-high 24:14 per night for Calgary.
If acquired, Andersson would immediately provide a significant boost to Boston’s right-side defensive depth, and give the Bruins a formidable top-four grouping with Andersson joining Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, and Nikita Zadorov. Andersson would also provide some solid backup behind both Lindholm and McAvoy, which could be important given the injuries both players have battled over the last two seasons.
How far the Bruins are willing to extend themselves for Andersson will be an interesting test for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and the franchise’s “on-the-fly” retooling. Now, the Bruins have never outright said that they going through that kind of retool, but their moves over the last calendar year have by all means confirmed it. From selling last deadline to taking a more conservative approach when it came to adding last summer, the Bruins have seemingly wanted to keep all avenues open.
Acquiring (and presumably extending) a player like Andersson would indicate that the Bruins do find themselves in more of a ‘compete now’ than a ‘draft and develop’ mode. It’s possible to do both, of course, but it’s a fine line. That makes the thought of trading picks (especially first-round picks) a risky proposition for the club. As much as the Bruins could use a player like Andersson now, they could also use a first-round pick that could bring them similar results over a longer window.
But throughout his time as Boston’s front office mover and shaker, Sweeney has always believed in ‘doing right by his team’ and ‘giving them a chance’ if they prove worthy of an investment. The Bruins may have turned that corner in his eyes, as the team has captured wins in eight nine games since New Year’s Eve, and is currently on a six-game heater under first-year head coach Marco Sturm.