The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames have been rivals forever, and they continue to have one of the most electric rivalries in the entire NHL. Every game is fun to watch and even with the Flames struggling to find their footing in recent seasons, they are still able to put up a decent fight against the Oilers making it an entertaining show every time they meet. Despite being rivals, the two teams have made trades in the past and have agreed to move players from one side of the Battle of Alberta to the other, the most popular deal being the James Neal for Milan Lucic swap a few seasons ago where both players needed a fresh start and were able to get it.
As mentioned by a fellow writer at The Hockey Writers in one of his fantastic recent news and rumors columns, Jim Parsons made note of a recent connection from a well-respected journalist from The Athletic who looked at the possibility of Rasmus Andersson being a fit for the Oilers.
[Andersson] could slide in on the second pairing with Nurse…His offensive contributions have improved over the last three seasons (138 points in 239 games) but the Flames’ sell-off in 2023-24 had an impact on his overall numbers.
source – ‘Oilers trade targets: 3 defencemen who can solve final major roster issue’ – Allan Mitchell – The Athletic – 07/29/2024
Mitchell also mentioned Artem Zub from the Ottawa Senators as well as Justin Barron from the Montreal Canadiens as potential fits, but Andersson seems to be the most enticing. While the price may go up because they are not only rivals for being in the same province, they are also Pacific Division rivals. While the Flames could get a decent haul in return for Andersson if they chose to trade him, their asking price could go up if the Oilers expressed interest.
Andersson’s Fit With the Oilers & Could He Elevate Nurse?
As Mitchell touched on in his article, he could fit alongside Darnell Nurse on the second pairing and give the Oilers a scary-looking top-four defensive lineup. Nurse has often been picked apart by fans for his inconsistent play and inability to provide shutdown hockey while being the highest-paid defender on the team. It doesn’t help his case that youngster Evan Bouchard has broken out offensively and will begin pushing to be named a finalist for the Norris Trophy in the 2024-25 season and beyond.
By no means is Nurse a bad defender, but he doesn’t fit anywhere in the Oilers’ lineup where fans feel comfortable with his partner. The duo of Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm has debatably been the best pairing in the NHL since the Oilers acquired Ekholm at the 2023 Trade Deadline, so they won’t be split up. Nurse and Philip Broberg showed signs of being a solid second pairing during the Oilers’ playoff run last season, but banking on a young Broberg to make up for Nurse’s defensive lapses is a tall ask, and something they need to reconsider.
Brett Kulak is a left-shot defender like Nurse, so those two together make no sense, and Vincent Desharnais nor Cody Ceci were a great fit with Nurse last season. Nurse should be able to take over a game considering the money he makes and how much he plays on a nightly basis, but he hasn’t been able to find that dominant side for a while. While we may never see Nurse back at his peak form, bringing in a good partner for him is the next best option.
Andersson is a right-shot defender who can produce offensively, but his defensive play is solid as well. He could probably fit on either the second or third pairing next season, but ideally he plays with Nurse on the second pairing so that Kulak and Ceci can make up the last line. It may not be the strongest defensive lineup in the NHL by any means, but the Oilers will have to work with what they have if they want to make another deep playoff run this season. If that means bringing in Andersson to shelter Nurse while they both play a ton, then so be it, but only as long as the Flames’ asking price in a trade isn’t ridiculous.
