Even when something goes right for the Vancouver Canucks, something else finds a way of going wrong.
Ryan Kesler injury: Canucks forward injures leg in win
The Canucks picked up an important win on Wednesday night, but lost one of their best players, Ryan Kesler.
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The Canucks won, 3-2, in Winnipeg on Wednesday night, picking up two huge points in their efforts to get back into a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They won thanks to a pair of goals from Alex Burrows after he failed to score a single goal in his first 35 games of the season.
The bad news, however, is that the team also lost Ryan Kesler to a leg injury, and it appears that he is done for the remainder of their current road trip. The team announced that he is returning to Vancouver for further evaluation.
Kesler was injured in the second period after he was on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee collision with Winnipeg’s Jim Slater. Slater was given a two-minute minor for tripping. Kesler immediately skated off to the locker room (very slowly) and did not return.
Despite trade rumors and reports that he had previously asked to be moved this season, the Canucks did not deal Kesler at the deadline despite heavy interest from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks. In 67 games this season, he has scored 22 goals to go with 18 assists.
The 29-year-old Kesler still has two years remaining on his current contract with a $5 million-per-year salary cap hit. He’s still a productive player, but injuries have been starting to catch up to him over the past couple of seasons.
Earlier on Wednesday when general manager Mike Gillis was talking about the Canucks’ struggles this season, he pointed to injuries as being a major culprit. He can now add another one to the list.
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