Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler will be sidelined indefinitely after tests taken Wednesday revealed the standout forward has a fractured right foot.
Kesler originally suffered the injury while blocking a shot in a win at Dallas last Thursday, but initial x-rays came up negative and he participated in the club's next three games. However, a CT scan performed on Wednesday discovered the fracture.
Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters he did not know how much time Kesler would miss, though he said he expected the nine-year veteran to be out at least a month.
Kesler, one of the league's top two-way centers and a 41-goal scorer in 2010-11, also missed the Canucks' first 12 contests of the season while recovering from surgeries to his shoulder and wrist. He had recorded one goal and four assists in seven games since returning.
The 28-year-old also won the NHL's Selke Trophy, which recognizes the league's best defensive forward, following the 2010-11 campaign.
