Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kesler Practices, Return Date Appears Close

02/04/2013 at 8:23am EST

from Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province,

He said that there was no timeline on his return, although he will be travelling with the team for the upcoming road trip, which sees them visit the Edmonton Oilers on Monday and the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

He said that he needed to work on his strength and timing and “feeling comfortable in one-on-one battles.”

“I had to be patient,” he said of returning to practice with the team. “That was my biggest thing. I had to keep telling myself ‘baby steps.’ It’s a process and you can’t get ahead of the process.

“I still have to be patient. There’s still a long way to go.”

Coach Alain Vigneault seemed more positive, saying that he thought Kesler had “an opportunity to come help us after a couple of practices.” He did add that coming on the road trip was part of that process, so it seems unlikely to see him play in Minnesota, let alone Edmonton.

Kesler did seem to have plenty of jump and didn’t appear to be holding back when shooting the puck.

more

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]