Canucks forward Tanner Pearson officially out for the season
Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Pearson is officially done for the season.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Friday the club had placed Pearson on the long-term injured reserve due to a season-ending hand injury.
Pearson’s final game this season came on November 9 against the Montreal Canadiens, when he had to leave the contest after sustaining a hand injury. He underwent initial surgery and was expected to return within four-to-six weeks, but that timeline dragged on, and he won’t take the ice again this NHL season.
It’s ended a painful campaign.
On January 12, the club announced that Pearson had undergone a third hand surgery since November and would miss the remainder of the season, with the injury sparking conversation when Quinn Hughes told reporters that his teammate’s recovery “wasn’t handled properly.”
Today after practice, Quinn Hughes followed up his comment Thursday that teammate Tanner Pearson’s injury “wasn’t handled properly.” pic.twitter.com/qjQqIRKjza
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacSportsnet) January 13, 2023
While the Canucks investigated the handling of Pearson’s injury and care, President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford eventually dismissed wrongdoing, saying that the organization was comfortable with how they handled the situation.
Pearson only played 14 games for the Canucks this season, scoring a goal and four assists while playing an average of 13:30 per night.
In January, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that Pearson may have had three or four surgeries and was “not done with more work on the hand.”
Dhaliwal added that an infection caused problems and that Pearson may need future surgeries.
In our first segment @DhaliwalSports shared what he knows about Tanner Pearson's injury and the timeline since he originally got hurt.#Canuckshttps://t.co/h4e2SKLzpb pic.twitter.com/uzH0yOxQHv
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) January 13, 2023
“Could it be career-threatening? We don’t know that yet, but I’m told there is no guarantee that Tanner Pearson will be back next season,” Dhaliwal said Friday morning on Donnie and Dhali. “It is a significant injury.”
The Canucks still have 27 games reaming in the season but will have to continue forward without Pearson, a player the club may look to move ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline if there’s a fit somewhere in the league.
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