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Canucks forward Ryan Kesler won't be ready until January
By
QMI Agency
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  Canucks forward Ryan Kesler had off-season shoulder and wrist surgeries and will be sidelined until January. (MIKE BLAKE/Reuters file photo)
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Rehabbing Vancouver Canucks centre Ryan Kesler hasn't been affected, so far anyway, by the NHL lockout.
Kesler is still being paid after having off-season shoulder and wrist surgeries -- injured players who haven't been cleared to play aren't considered locked out. And the work stoppage likely won't impact him unless it stretches into the new year, since he doesn't expect to be ready to play until January.
"I'm still pretty banged up," Kesler told the Vancouver Sun. "Can't shoot. Can't really even stickhandle yet. I think the timeline was December before the wrist (surgery). When the wrist came into effect, it really hindered the shoulder.
"I couldn't do much for eight weeks so that puts you back two months with the shoulder. Strength-wise, I'm pretty far behind."
Kesler, who had wrist surgery in early May and shoulder surgery in late June, has been rehabbing at the Rogers Centre under the watchful eyes of the Canucks medical team. In addition to the two recent surgeries, he also went under the knife to repair a hip problem just over a year ago.
"No one wants to have three surgeries in a calendar year," he said. "It was tough but, in saying that, I'm just trying to get back to 100%. It's going to take a while but I'm putting in the time and effort. I just have to be patient and let everything heal."
