Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Pearson spoke to the media for the first time since a hand injury he suffered back on Nov. 9 ended his season.
Pearson initially underwent surgery soon after the injury and was expected only to miss four-to-six weeks.
However, on Jan. 12 it was announced the winger had undergone his third hand surgery since November, and would miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
The handling of Pearson's injury then became a major talking point, with teammate Quinn Hughes telling reporters Pearson’s recovery “wasn’t handled properly.” Hughes' comment sparked a firestorm of questions surrounding the credibility of the Canucks’ medical staff, and an internal investigation from the front office.
After the investigation, Canucks president Jim Rutherford told reporters the organization was comfortable with how the situation was handled.
Saturday, Pearson was asked directly about the handling of his injury, but declined to comment on the injury diagnosis by the Canucks or the possibility of a future grievance.
"The people who need to know, know,” Pearson said. “Look, I’m just trying to get my hand back. I’m just trying to go home, be a dad and play with my kids, it sucks.”
He also said because of the complex nature of the injury, he can't really give a definitive answer on when he might return to on ice activity.
"There’s timelines in my mind that I would like to hit, and hopefully we do," Pearson said. "It would make everything way better. It’s still such a slow process that I don’t have a specific time or date."
But make no mistake, Pearson still sees himself as a hockey player.
"I'm still going to approach this summer like I'm a hockey player," he said. "I have to."
Pearson was also asked about what he thought about Hughes stepping up for him in the media.
“From a teammate perspective, you love seeing a guy stick up for his teammate,” Pearson said of Hughes.
Pearson played in just 14 games for the Canucks in 2022-23, finishing with one goal and five points.
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