Rasmus Sandin Leaves Game Against Team USA With Apparent Knee Injury

Photo: HockeyNews.we/Bildbyran

Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin sustained an apparent knee injury in the first period of Team Sweden’s IIHF 2023 World Championship preliminary game against Team USA on Tuesday.

Only minutes into the game, Team USA (and Tampa Bay Lightning) forward Mason Eyssimont collided with Sandin along the boards, and connected with Sandin’s left knee.

Sandin was left lying on the ice for a while but would eventually be led off the ice with the help of managers and players. He was unable to put any weight on his left leg and would go directly to the locker room.

For Mason Eyssimont, after video review, the referees decided on a five-minute major with a subsequent match penalty.

During the the first intermission, Team Sweden announced that Sandin will not return to the game after sustaining a lower body injury and that the defender will be examined further this evening.

Sandin has started all games in the top pairing for Team Sweden. He entered Tuesday’s game with one assist in six games at the worlds.

Today’s game between Team USA (6-0) and Team Sweden (5-0-1) is the final game in group play for both teams, with top spot in Group A on the line.

Team Sweden announced its final roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championships (WC) on May 9. Sandin made the final roster while newly acquired Hardy Haman Aktell did not make the final 25-man roster.

This story is developing.

By Jon Sorensen

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About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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29 Responses to Rasmus Sandin Leaves Game Against Team USA With Apparent Knee Injury

  1. Anonymous says:

    No, no, no!

  2. Anonymous says:

    2023-24 starting out like last season

  3. Anonymous says:

    That did not look good.

  4. Anonymous says:

    The Continuing Caps Curse! For not giving Scott Stevens a lifetime contract, and not re-hiring Barry Trotz on his terms after winning Stanley Cup

  5. Anonymous says:

    The beat goes on…

  6. Lance says:

    That sucks!

  7. hockeydruid says:

    And so the injury saga continues. I know why they have all these tournaments but sooner or later you have to think that a team is going to say NO more after players get hurt and can not perform doing their job! I enjoy these tournaments but wonder how long owners of teams will allow players to go to something that means nothing to the NHL standings.

    • Anonymous says:

      Considering how important it is to the players as well as to growing the game, there is a zero percent chance of that happening.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yeah stupid comment. Individual growth that comes from experience in these tournaments is important also.

        • Anonymous says:

          I don’t think the growth matters as much as exposure – lots of international tournaments give young players the opportunity to shine in front of scouts, NHL players, executives, etc. That being said, growth means a lot too- this is Sandin’s first time playing for Sweden since 2020 WJC. High level competition is important.

          Would it be better for him to be sitting on his ass, golfing 5x a week?

        • hockeydruid says:

          Not as stupid as having a name o Anonymous; so take your unknown self and exit stage left!! And what growth does Sandin get from playing in a tournament on a team that is not the Caps? How does it help him play better with his teammates, oh by the way, and for the team that pays him?

      • hockeydruid says:

        AS hockey is played almost everywhere, how long are people use the excuse of “growing the game”? How much growth does it need? I have been a hockey fan for over 50 years as well as follow other sports and each gets its fair amount of time. Like I said I enjoy watching the tournaments but wonder if key players for the NHL teams get hurt how long will the NHL owners permit them to play? There comes a time when it has to be looked at as he has a job and responsibilities to the team that he collects a salary from. It is nice to have pride and want to play for your country however your JOB and playing for pride are two different things.

        • Anonymous says:

          Ah got it, you’re a boomer. “back in my day sonny, we ignored data and made business decisions based on my uniformed gut feeling.”

          Hockey is the most popular sport in Canada and Finland. Maybe Latvia. Soccer reigns supreme in almost all non-American hockey markets. There is massive growth potential in a sport that’s played by something like 1.5 million people worldwide.

          Just a phenomenally ignorant take. Boo. Go home.

    • novafyre says:

      Hags? “His career was derailed in March when he took a stick to the face in practice and suffered a significant eye injury. The injury forced him to undergo multiple surgeries, ending his season and threatening his long-term vision.” Do we cancel practices as well?

      We talk about players as though they are inanimate objects without feelings or desires. Sure, just cancel all non-team chances for glory. Sure, just leave them in Hershey another year. Or two. Cogs in a wheel. I want them to be part of a league and an organization and a team which will give them every chance to be the best they can be, to fulfill their dreams.

      • Anonymous says:

        Doesn’t serve players to push them from Hershey when they are physically or mentally ready.

        • novafyre says:

          I think you meant to say “before they are” not “when they are.” True. But they have their own ideas as to their readiness. To tempt them and tantalize them and then not give them steady ice time last year probably soured them unless they were given what they feel are meaningful criticisms. If we hire an HC that is geared towards prospects but the GM has already filled those spots with trades, how will those players feel? Are they being sent down (and it is down) to work on specific things or because the Caps traded to fill those spots?

          Players do leave when they feel they are not valued, not wanted. We had Vrana, we now have Kuzy.

  8. Scottlew73 says:

    And this is why “SMART GM’s” Don’t let star players play in these tournaments! World championships used to be for non-NHL players a chance to play for thier respective countries only now it’s become a non playoff/first round exit tournament!
    Don’t feel sorry because he should have been talked out of before going.

    • Anonymous says:

      Recent tournament MVPs include Mark Stone, Patrick Kane, Pekka Rinne, and Roman Josi.

      Wtf are you talking about?

  9. Prevent Defense says:

    Agree with ScottLew73 – I utterly loathe the off-season “international” hockey tournament racket. It’s 100% useless to NHL hockey fans and franchises

    OK — let’s talk Roster Construction for Caps and NHL teams in general ….

    Newly-hired Calgary GM Craig Conroy (today) says it best:
    “”What I’ve watched and learned is you need young players on the team. You need that excitement. You know what they bring day in and day out, and it’s nothing against the older players. But when you watch the League, you see what these kids are doing at 15, 16, 17-years-old. I can’t even imagine doing that, so you have to bring that in your team. You have to give them a chance. It might not be seamless all the time and it’s easier to play veteran players, but we need to kind of move forward.” [NHL daht cahm and other sources]

    It’s true both in baseball and ice hockey: With modern technology, diets, training regimens, cradle-to-career playing leagues, and just plain monetary incentive, phenom players are in explosive expansion all over the Northern Hemisphere. Add in a hard salary cap, and it is simply IMPERATIVE to integrate young and even baby players into one’s NHL team. The luxury of “Veterans Only” is a long-gone dinosaur, as many coaches recently fired (GMs too) have found out.

    Quality of ice hockey player at all levels is dramatically improved over decades past. So is quality of Baseball player. Teenagers with spectacular talent and abilities are commonplace, where they were a scare miracle 25 or more years ago. So the Caps aren’t unique. EVERY franchise is compelled to integrate extremely young players (and their entry-level contract $$$!) into their rosters. May GMBM pull the best rabbit out of his hat — among his 31 peers

    • Sprak says:

      This is a bad take (among many) on international play. These players only get to play for their country once a year. The other 11 months are spent playing for and in a country to which they do not belong. Imagine being a Swede and representing the capital of a foreign nation for an entire pro season, I’d bet you’d want to represent your country for a few weeks. If you played a sport in Europe or Asia, I’m sure that there wouldn’t be much that would stop you from playing for America in an international tournament. These players want to represent their country, it would be terrible to stop them from doing that.

    • Anonymous says:

      At some point they need to restrict your comments because you just are batting 1.000 at bad takes

  10. Anonymous says:

    This post has some really, really bad takes.

    I know it’s hard to believe, but not every person on the planet is American. For lots of non-American athletes, the Stanley Cup is NOT the biggest hockey tournament. Winning Olympic Gold is first, followed by WHC, followed by the Stanley Cup. That doesn’t change just because of who signs the checks.

    Hell, the same can be said for many Americans too: ask an NTDP alum. They all love wearing the USA sweater everyday. It means a lot to a lot of people, even if you aren’t one of them.

    There’s a reason why international tournaments are referred to as “best on best”. And lots of competitors prefer to prove their merit in competition against the best.

  11. Diane Doyle says:

    Sandin injury — “.. And that’s why we can’t have nice things!” Hope he’s not injired too seriously.

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  13. Scottlew73 says:

    Wow,Anonymous (if that is YOUR REAL NAME),so much Crap so little time to clean up…..,but here goes:
    First,of your last 4 mvp’s,one is retired,two were out of NHL playoffs early,& last is on team that’s now fighting for its playoff life!
    Second,as Sprak mentioned these players only get maybe one chance to play for thier country. My mom’s side of my family was blessed to have 2 former NHL’ers: Par & Christian Djoos. Par played on a world championship winner for Sweden,and that team were hero’s for next year until tournament started again. Christian has never had a chance to play for his home country since his world junior days,mainly because was on Caps cup winner ,but even since leaving nhl to play overseas has not been invited to play!???
    As I said this tournament used to be great way for player who were drafted but played away from North America to be “back” on thier draft team or other NHL club’s radar,& a lot of those player were playing for thier own country’s best professional league or other European leagues. Sweden’s own roster had 1) Swiss league player & I believe from memory only 4-5 from Swedish élite league the rest all out of playoffs or out in first round nhler’s!!!
    Oh yeah P.S.,at least I have enough…balls to use my REAL first name & not hide behind anonymity!!

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