CALGARY — Calgary Flames defenceman Kevin Bahl will undergo season-ending surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The NHL team announced the news Sunday, saying the 26-year-old blue liner will be placed on injured reserve.
"A terrible break for a guy that I would consider our best player up to this point of the season," Flames head coach Ryan Huska said before a game against the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday night.
"Unfortunately sometimes things happen. Because of that, we're losing a really good player for the rest of the year."
Huska indicated Bahl, who played on Calgary's top defensive pairing with Simon Nemec, sustained the injury during warm-up before Friday's game against the Anaheim Ducks.
"Warming up. It's kind of a freak think. You don't hear of that, really ever," Huska said.
Joel Hanley took Bahl's place in the lineup as the Flames fell 5-3. In his first game since Oct. 3, Hanley scored Calgary's second goal of the night.
The Flames recalled Brayden Pachal from the American Hockey League's Calgary Wranglers on Sunday.
"This gives opportunity to different people. You look at Joel Hanley right now, getting a chance to get back in the lineup," Huska said.
"Pachal gets called up again. There's going to be opportunities for him moving forward."
Bahl led the Flames in ice time at just under 22 minutes per game, and played against opposing teams' top lines.
"You're gutted for the guy and selfishly, you're gutted for the team," Flames assistant captain Zach Whitecloud said.
"Such a big part of this team and plays a lot of minutes."
Bahl had one goal, one assist and 12 penalty minutes over 16 games for the Flames (7-9-1) this season.
The six-foot-six, 230-pound defenceman from New Westminster, B.C., had four goals, 14 assists and 47 penalty minutes for the team over the 2025-26 campaign.
The Flames dealt goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils for Bahl and a 2025 first-round draft pick in 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2026.
The Canadian Press
