Ryan Kesler still in Recovery Process and What it means for Vancouver Canucks -NHL Special
The 2012-2013 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season being locked out up until this point has been without a doubt, beneficial for one team in North America and that certainly has to be the Vancouver Canucks.
For them, not having had to play the regular season without Ryan Kesler has been a blessing in disguise, along with the fact he has had ample to recover, but according to latest reports, he is still “months away” from those dreams of seeing him back on the
ice being materialized.
Ryan Kesler, the Vancouver Canucks veteran and one of their leading forwards, suffered multiple injuries during the previous regular season and was forced to undergo surgery during the off time and is still well into the rehabilitation process. Prior to
the season being locked out, it was believed by the team’s medical staff that he would be ready to go by the end of December, but y the looks of it, there is still much ground to cover in that regard.
A shoulder surgery and another one on his wrist has been harsh for the 28-year-old and has made a major impact on his road to recovery with the biggest reason being both were on the same side of the body.
“The re-evaluation was positive in that the surgeries were successful,” Kesler’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, said, according to the Vancouver Province. “However, the compounding nature of both of those surgeries being on the same side of the body, it’s been very
hard to properly rehab either one of them — particularly the shoulder — because that’s obviously a big deal.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to have any sort of time frame when he’s going to be 100 per cent and cleared to play. I don’t have a crystal ball and it’s certainly months away, it’s not weeks away. It’s several months away.”
Kesler managed to play in a major chunk of the 2011-2012 NHL regular season and still potted 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) despite not being at his best and which is why Vancouver topped the Western Conference for the second time in a row. They really
felt his lacking during the postseason as they entered the Stanley Cup playoffs quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Kings, who were destined to win the championship, but treated the Canucks like a team full of amateurs.
Next season, the Vancouver Canucks need to prove a point and finally get a Stanley Cup and not having Kesler on the line-up will definitely not allow for that to happen.
Kesler is a overall 23rd draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks and has played 561 games up until now, with a total of 337 points (153 goals, 184 assists) and is currently locked on to the franchise with a six-year, $30 million contract.
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