The Anaheim Ducks have announced that center Ryan Kesler is sidelined a “lengthy period of time” after receiving surgery on his right hip.
BREAKING: Ryan Kesler underwent successful right hip resurfacing surgery on Thursday, May 9.
The surgery leaves open the possibility he could resume his NHL career following a lengthy recovery.https://t.co/5HQLHcZvdt
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) May 13, 2019
Ryan Kesler Receives Hip Surgery
Kesler has been battling injuries for the past two seasons, playing 44 games and 60 games in 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, respectively. It had been unknown if Kesler would even play hockey past this season.
Last season, Kesler scored 5 goals and had 3 assists for 8 points to go along with 44 minutes in penalties in 60 games. His possession numbers were 44.3 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -5.1.
Over his 15-year NHL career, Kesler has played for the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks. He has 258 goals and 315 assists for 573 career points in 1001 career games. He was originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1st round, 23rd overall in the 2003 NHL draft.
Ryan Kesler’s statement on receiving surgery: “At this point in my career, this surgery was the best option for my quality of life. The pain I suffering has been greatly reduced since the procedure, and I’m grateful for that. While my playing future is unknown, I’m in a good place.”
What This Means for the Future for Ryan Kesler and his Career
The future for Kesler is still uncertain if he’ll ever play again. It is, however, still a possibility that he can, as the Ducks announcement stated. For the Ducks as a team, putting Kesler on LTIR can free up some much needed cap space. Kesler has a contract with a cap hit of $6.875 million through the end of 2022. Based on his underwhelming performance and large contract, this is some relief desperately needed for Anaheim.
A large amount of injuries and an aging roster with declining talent sank the Ducks last season, and this allows them some more room within the cap to afford the John Gibson, Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg extensions that kick in next season.
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