Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

‘Canes, Flames keep watch as Loktionov, Baertschi injured at Worlds

Sven Baertschi

Calgary Flames’ Sven Baertschi, from Switzerland, waits for a face off during first-period NHL hockey game action against the Winnepeg Jets in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, March 9, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

AP

Tough opening day at the 2014 World Hockey Championships for a pair of young skaters.

Andrei Loktionov, Carolina’s pending RFA forward, suffered a shoulder injury while playing for Russia in an eventual 5-0 win over Switzerland. He was sent to local hospital for observation and his status for the remainder of the tournament is unknown.

Meanwhile, in the same game, Swiss forward Sven Baertschi -- Calgary’s first-round pick (13th overall) at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft -- suffered what appeared to be a serious upper-body injury:

Tough break for #Flames Sven Baertschi, who left Swiss game today with upper body injury. Swiss coach Sean Simpson: “It does not look good.”

— Darren Haynes (@DarrenWHaynes) May 9, 2014


Loktionov, 23, was acquired by Carolina at the deadline as part of the Tuomo Ruutu-to-New Jersey deal and did well for the ‘Canes, scoring 10 points in 20 games while averaging over 14 minutes a night. As mentioned, he’s a pending RFA having played last season on a one-year, $725,000 deal.

Baertschi, 21, scored 11 points in 26 games for Calgary last year, splitting time between the Flames and their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. It was a tough year for him overall; after Brian Burke took over as club president, one of his first public remarks was to blast Baertschi and his lack of overall game.

“I’m not ready to quit on a young kid. I’m not ready to throw him under the bus here today and rip him, but I think you can tell from my comments that I see big holes and I see a lack of commitment that’s not going to get him anywhere in my books,” Burke said, per the Globe and Mail.