"The needles I use are probably this big," Kesler said.

To appreciate what Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler has been enduring, hold your index fingers about six inches apart.

Now imagine a physical therapist puncturing your skin and pushing the needles deep into your body, usually a couple of times a week, as part of your routine. And remember that it's for relief.

"It helps release muscles," Kesler said. "And that's what I need right now."

Kesler, 33, had surgery June 8 to remove bone fragments from his right hip and made his season debut Dec. 27, but he's still recovering. He's averaging 17:56 of ice time in 21 games, more than three minutes fewer than the 21:18 he averaged last season, when he was a finalist for the Selke Trophy for the fifth time. He's winning 52.8 percent of his face-offs, down from 57.4 last season, and he has eight points (six goals, two assists).

"He's not going to be the Kesler he was last year," coach Randy Carlyle said. "I don't think we can expect that."

The Ducks hope Kesler will find enough of his old form by the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and they'll make another deep run after going to the Western Conference Final last season.

Video: EDM@ANA: Kesler deflects Lindholm's shot past Talbot

"That's the plan," Kesler said. "That's why I came back when I came back."

But the Ducks must make the playoffs first. With 65 points, they're one behind the Calgary Flames for third in the Pacific Division and three behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. They've played one more game than the Flames, two more than the Wild.

Kesler's recovery probably won't be complete until he has a full offseason to rehab.

He struggled with his right hip last season even though he played 82 games, was runner-up for the Selke and had 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists). He had eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 17 playoff games.

After what he called an "extensive cleanup" surgery, he went to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on crutches. He couldn't train during the summer, skate during training camp or play for the first three months of the season, then hopped into games.

"He went through a very tough rehabilitation process, and then you've got guys in midseason shape flying around, and he's got to try to catch up," defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. "He's got to stay patient."

Patience doesn't come easy to Kesler, though.

"Obviously sitting out is the worst thing as a player," Kesler said. "You realize how much you love the game when you have to sit out and you're not allowed to do what you love. I just want to help this team win.

"Sitting on the sidelines and seeing your teammates battle every night and not being out there, it's tough, and I pushed hard to get back to where I am. Not by any means am I saying I'm not ready to play. I am ready to play. That's why I'm out there. It's taxing on the body."

Kesler is reluctant to talk much about what it takes for him to play. But prod him and he'll share just enough that you get the idea.

"It's just a lot of work," he said. "It's a 24-hour-a-day job."

Exercises? Therapy?

"Everything you can imagine," he said. "Anything you can imagine, I do it."

Acupuncture?

"Everything."

Kesler actually undergoes dry needling, similar to acupuncture but not based in ancient Chinese medicine. It's focused on releasing trigger points, not redirecting energy. He takes a lot of practices off, which helps with the hip but doesn't help the line of Kesler, Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg rediscover its chemistry.

"That line has been a pretty solid checking line and it's produced some form of offense for our hockey club," Carlyle said. "They've had stature in the League, and I don't think they're anywhere near what they are capable of or what we've previously experienced. That's not a knock on them. I just think it's been one of those years that they've been apart, and we'd just like to see them continue to develop into more of a cohesive unit."

Kesler said his hip has been coming along, then sighed. He has good days and bad days, and needles.

Video: WPG@ANA: Kesler roofs tough-angle shot from boards

"It's what I've got to do right now until I get a full summer under my belt," he said. "Most people don't come back from my surgery until a year, so it was a big surgery and it was a lot different than my ones in the past.

"I'm still in 'returning to play.' The staff here, the coaches, the management and the trainers, they've all been really good with me. They've allowed me to come back so soon. Obviously with my mindset I want to play, and they're allowing me to play."