Mike Santorelli's shoulder injury is still being evaluated

Only a season removed from clearing waivers thanks to an outsized contract, Vancouver Canucks forward Mike Santorelli was enjoying a Renaissance campaign. The gritty, undersized scoring forward had impressed with his versatility (he'd lined up as both a center and a winger for the Canucks this season), and he remains sixth among regular Canucks forwards in average ice-time per game, and fourth on the club in points. 

But Santorelli - who signed with the club on a two-way, league minimum flier this summer - has had his comeback campaign derailed by a shoulder injury sustained in a game last week against the Phoenix Coyotes. Though Santorelli has now missed over a week of action, his injury is still being evaluated by doctors to hear Canucks executive Mike Gillis tell it.

"He hurt his shoulder," the Canucks general manager said of the handyman forward on Friday. "And it's one of those injuries where we're trying to let it settle down and we'll see what the next steps are going to be."

Continued Gillis: "It could go a couple different ways, As you know, medical teams now they want to let things settle down and see pain tolerance and a variety of different things before a decision is made. So that's the process he's going through."

While Gillis' comments were vague, it certainly sounds like the club and the player are hoping to avoid surgery. Based on those comments and the club's recent actions - including a brief flirtation with giving 38-year-old veteran forward Vinny Prospal a professional tryout - it would seem that Santorelli is a ways away from returning to action, if he even makes it back this season.