Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler has shoulder surgery; out six months

The Vancouver Canucks have revealed that centre Ryan Kesler has undergone surgery to repair a torn labrum. The team announced the procedure in a statement and called the surgery a success. The 27-year-old is expected to make a full recovery in six months, which means he won't be available until sometime in November at the earliest.

This is the second straight off-season in which Kesler has gone under the knife. Last summer, he required hip surgery that forced him to miss the first five games of the 2011-12 NHL regular season.

Kesler laboured down the stretch and through the playoffs going goalless in his final 17 games this year. He had three assists in the five-game first-round loss to the Los Angeles Kings. A year after scoring a career-high 41 goals and winning the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward, Kesler struggled this past season as his goal total dropped to 22.