Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Pearson spoke to the media for the first time since suffering a season-ending hand injury that occurred on Nov. 9, and he made his feelings quite clear.
Shortly after the injury, it was announced that Pearson would miss approximately four to six weeks, but that changed drastically on Jan. 12 when the Canucks announced Pearson would miss the entire season. Then the handling of his injury was brought to the forefront when Quinn Hughes spoke to the media and said the injury “wasn’t handled properly.” That comment spired a firestorm of questions surrounding the Canucks, their ownership and the medical staff that works with the team.
In the season-ending press conference, Pearson was rightfully upset. He was asked directly by members of the media about the handling of his injury; however, he declined to comment on the injury situation and the possible grievance against the Canucks.
“There are 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.”
Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford previously told reporters that he felt comfortable with how the team handled the situation.
The 30-year-old played just 14 games with the Canucks this season, scoring one goal and five points. He had a career-high 45 points with the team in 2019-20, his second season with the club. Pearson won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2013-14, his first season in the NHL.
