Huselius to miss 4-6 months after surgery

Surgery to repair a torn right pectoral muscle suffered by Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Kristian Huselius on Thursday was ruled a success, and the team said he's expected to miss 4-6 months.

"The surgery went very well," said Blue Jackets Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Scott Howson. "The rehabilitation time for this type of injury is typically several months, and we expect Kristian to make a full recovery."

The operation was performed by Dr. Larry Watson at Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence in Columbus.

Huselius, 32, suffered the injury while lifting weights in his native Sweden last week, following a season in which a high ankle sprain and a hip injury limited him to 39 games, during which he had 14 goals and 9 assists, but was a minus-17.

"He was bench pressing when it happened," Howson told the Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday. "He knew right away that something was wrong, that it was pretty serious."

Huselius has 190 goals, 261 assists and 254 penalty minutes in 660 NHL games with Florida, Calgary and Columbus. The Panthers' second pick (No. 47) in the 1997 Entry Draft, he has 58 goals and 142 points in 187 games with the Blue Jackets since signing as a free agent July 2, 2008.

The injury, coming two weeks after the opening of free agency, leaves the Blue Jackets scrambling to fill a vacancy among their top six forwards, as Huselius was expected to play on a line with All-Stars Jeff Carter and Rick Nash.

"We're looking at options to help us get through," Howson said on the club's Twitter page.