‘I’m just trying to be a dad again’: Canucks’ Tanner Pearson speaks about hand injury for the first time

It was a frustrating season for Tanner Pearson, to say the least.

A hand injury suffered on November 9th with an initial timeline of four weeks held Pearson out of the Canucks’ lineup for the remainder of the season. In February, the Canucks placed Pearson on long-term injured reserve.

Since the time of his injury, Pearson has reportedly undergone 6-7 surgeries and was at one point fitted with a PICC line, which delivers antibiotics to his hand 24/7 to counter a post-operative infection he’d been dealing with.

Pearson’s injury was brought heavily into the public eye when Quinn Hughes told reporters in January that his teammate’s injury wasn’t handled properly. Today was the final day of the season for Vancouver Canucks players’ media availabilities, and Pearson spoke to reporters for the first time since his injury.

“Yeah it’s been a crappy year, to say the least. And with it, I’m just taking it day-by-day, week-by-week, just trying to progress,” said Pearson of his injury, which the forward called a broken hand. Pearson was then asked if he feels the organization and its medical staff handled his injury correctly.

“I’m not going to share my personal opinions. I think the people that need to know what’s going on know, and I’m going to keep it that way… Look, I’m just trying to get my hand back… I’m just trying to go home and be a dad and be with my kids and be able to play at the moment. It sucks.”

Pearson was asked about Hughes’ comment on how his injury was handled, and made his appreciation known for the young Canucks blue liner.

“From a teammate perspective, you love seeing a guy stick up for his teammate,” Pearson said.

Pearson has a challenging summer ahead of him and still has a long road to recovery. The hope at this point is that he’s at least done with surgeries for the foreseeable future, but as has been made painfully obvious during this process, nothing is guaranteed.

Through just 14 games with the Canucks this season, Pearson tallied one goal and four assists.