Healing Kesler waddling along for hobbled Ducks
PATRICK JOHNSTON
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The concern in the NHL off-season was so great about the health of Ryan Kesler’s surgically repaired hip that one pundit suggested he might not play the 2018-19 season.
Elliotte Friedman’s report in May drew pushback from the Ducks, but there was no denying the concern over Anaheim’s second-line centre.
The former Canuck laboured through 44 games in 2017-18, having missed much of the first half after having a surgical procedure on his hip.
Doctors removed floating hip capsule during the June, 2017 operation. Ducks GM Bob Murray said at the time that even though Kesler played the entire previous season, the injury seriously affected his skating ability.
Kesler has played 19 of the Ducks’ 22 games this season, but only has four goals. His shot attempt percentage is a mediocre 42 per cent, a far cry from his career percentage of 52.2.
After Wednesday morning’s skate, Kesler acknowledged his game is still not close to where he believes it needs to be.
“Obviously I’m coming back from a major injury,” he said. “I feel like I’m still making progress. That’s the important part, that I’m not dipping, that I’m still making progress.
“I still have a long way to go,” he added. “It’s better than it was last year.”
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle has known Kesler for a long time, going back to 2004-05 when he was coach of the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg — the Canucks’ American Hockey League affiliate at the time — and had Kesler as a second-year pro.
He knows how frustrated Kesler is with how he’s playing, but also delivered a bit of a reality check about the 34-year-old centre.
“He’s one that doesn’t hide it very well,” he told reporters Wednesday. “We have an expectation of Kes being the Ryan Kesler of years gone by.
“He’s been adequate. Is he the same Ryan Kesler as years ago? No. Simple as that. And that’s part of the adjustment period that he has to understand and we have to maybe utilize him in a different manner.”
DUCKS’ INJURY WOES
The Ducks have seven players on their injured list. With the return of Anders Nilsson, the Canucks are down to five.
Carlyle said he’s trying to avoid frustration while putting more focus on how his team defends.
“It gets frustrating ... but basically you just move on,” he said. “You have to provide leadership because you have to keep your group focused on the task at hand.
“You pay a lot of attention to the defensive side of it. You can have success in the league, maybe not long-term, but success in the league without having a power play that’s effective, but if you’re the poorest penalty killing team, you can’t win.”
EDLER CLOSE TO A RETURN
Alex Edler, the Canucks’ ostensible No. 1 blue-liner, worked out with teammates during Wednesday’s skate, but skated with Alex Biega, the team’s other spare defenceman.
Canucks coach Travis Green said Edler is close.
“Hope so,” Green said when asked if he thought Edler would return to the lineup on Friday against the Sharks or Saturday against the Kings.
INTRIGUING WINGERS
Green looked to Tyler Motte and Sam Gagner to be Bo Horvat’s wingers, at least to start against the Ducks.
It’s a promotion for the speedy Motte, who has mostly played on the Canucks’ bottom two lines this season.
“I thought the last two games he’s looked a little bit like his old self, like he played in camp,” Green said. “He’s fast, he’s aggressive.”
Motte seems well-suited to skating alongside another great skater in Horvat. Gagner said playing with Horvat suited him well, too.
“(Horvat)’s a bull, he gets in on pucks,” Gagner said. “And when he gets it he makes a lot of plays. I thought we did a pretty good job of reading off each other.”
Motte said he liked skating alongside Gagner.
“He’s a great player, he moves the puck well, he’s got good vision. It’s nice to have that consistently. He gives our line a different look.”
In Monday’s 6-3 loss to Winnipeg, Gagner’s first of the season for the Canucks, his team took two-thirds of the shot attempts while he was on the ice. He skated 12:15 at five-on-five Monday.