Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson played through a broken fibula

Gang, there are things we know and things we think we know. We’re all pretty sure that hockey players play through some really challenging injuries that most of us wouldn’t. And based on how the past quarter of his season unfolded, it seemed probable that Calgary Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson was playing through an injury.

During Saturday’s exit interviews, the first question posed to Andersson was related to his health. And he provided a pretty straightforward, detailed answer:

“I broke my fibula against Seattle. Yeah, so I played last 12 games with a broken fibula. So that felt great.”

Andersson detailed that he broke his foot blocking a shot in the first period of the Mar. 25 home game against the Kraken. Andersson was credited with two first period shot blocks in that game. He ended up playing that game and 11 more before the Flames were eliminated from playoff contention, at which point Andersson sat out against the Kings in the season finale.

“That was a tough one actually, because it took me about half the game to feel okay,” said Andersson. “First half was awful. So you were kind of like behind the eight ball to start. And then, so yeah, that one didn’t feel too well actually. But you know, last game against Vegas, it felt good. But then you know, once we were out, you know, me and Connie just talked. And you know, we’ve been playing through enough. And so we decided not to go on the trip.”

During his exit interview with the media, Kevin Bahl noted that he made some adjustments to his game to help compensate for things that Andersson wasn’t able to do while playing with his injury. (Bahl also disclosed that he was dealing with a “lingering” lower-body issue from training camp that he was managing throughout the year.) When asked about whether he had thought about sitting out and letting the injury recover, Andersson explained his rationale for playing through the injury.

“Well, with the with the stage we were in pushing and, I just don’t think it was an option to [sit], because I broke it, it was like in my skate, right? It was like an ankle area,” said Andersson. “And so, you know, you try everything, you numb it up, you take pills and everything. And yeah, could I play better those games? Absolutely. Am I happy with those games? Not really. I mean, just so far behind from the puck drop. And you know, but I, you know, I feel like it’s important to show the young guys in the team, they can battle through stuff as well. And you don’t need, it’s a league where you don’t feel 100% the whole year. It’s just what NHL is. And you know, you’re playing through stuff and that’s not great, but you know, yeah, I mean, in my world, I don’t like sitting out. I never have. And I don’t think I ever will. If I can get my skate on, I will most likely play.”

Flames head coach Ryan Huska, during his chat with the media, detailed what it meant for the group for Andersson to soldier on through his injury and try to help the team.

“Most times you get an injury like he had with the broken foot, you don’t play,” said Huska. “But we were in the stretch of games that it was important for him to keep trying to play for us. So I think that goes to show a lot of his character and what he’s all about and how much his teammates mean to him and how much or how important it was for him to try to get or help get our team into the playoffs.”

From his injury until the end of the season, Andersson played 12 games and had five points (two goals, three assists) and a minus-13 rating. Before his injury, he played 69 games and had 27 points (nine goals, 18 points) and a minus-25 rating. He’s definitely had better years from a defensive standpoint, but his play over the last 14% of the season was unquestionably hampered by his injury.

Andersson shared that his injury has healed up enough that he’s going to be representing Sweden at the World Championships in May. The 2025-26 campaign is the final year of a six year contract he signed in 2020, and he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026. We’ll see what unfolds regarding his future with the Flames going forward.