Freddie Andersen Shares the Specifics of His Injury

Yesterday reports surfaced that some within the Hurricanes' organization grew frustrated with Andersen & his inability to battle through his injury. Today he shared that he suffered an MCL tear against the Avalanche April 16th. Hurricanes' team reporter added that he was indeed close to returning, which simply added to the grief of being eliminated.


An MCL tear isn't something any athlete should rush back to health, so the reports of people within the organization being frustrated with the Danish goaltender are troubling. While it's common for players to battle through serious injuries, it doesn't necessarily mean those who can't ought to be criticized. Especially in a situation where structural ligament damage is the problem. That's career threatening territory.

Andersen was the second-best goaltender in the NHL this season, at least by GAA & SV%. So while his absence was certainly not ideal for the Hurricanes, it was their inability to consistently generate offense against a stingy Rangers team that ultimately cost them. Antti Raanta was more than competent in this series, so Andersen's inability to return is irrelevant.