There appears to be differing opinions on the progress of Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler's recuperation from two off-season surgeries.
According to the Vancouver Province, Kesler's agent says his client's recovery from off-season shoulder and wrist surgeries has been pushed back months.
"The re-evaluation was positive in that the surgeries were successful," Kesler's agent, Kurt Overhardt told the 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 the 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."
But while the Canucks don't have a specific timeline in place for Kesler's return, Canucks assistant general manager Laurence Gilman disagrees that their power forward is months away from being ready to play.
"I wouldn't necessarily say it's months away - that's news to me - and I haven't been given a timeline," Gilman told the newspaper. "The rehab for his shoulder was complicated by the surgery that happened with his wrist and it has impacted his ability to build strength in his shoulder.
"It's a gradual process and he's improving every day. We assume he'll be healthy in due course but when that's going to be, at this stage that's not clear."
Despite the current NHL lockout, Kesler is being paid his $5 million salary and is rehabbing with the Canucks medical staff because he was injured before the last collective bargaining agreement expired in September.
