"We haven't ruled him out, but what's the sense of rushing something as serious as this?" team president John Davidson said Tuesday. "I think he'll be back to 110 percent, whether it's late this season or next season. Probably next season."

Kariya had two goals and 13 points in the Blues' first 11 games before injuring the hip Nov. 5 against Anaheim.

Kariya Injury Kariya Kariya met the media on Dec. 29 to discuss his decision to get surgery on his hip. He is confident he will return at 100 percent. Watch Blues broadcaster Chris Kerber got an exclusive one-on-one interview with Kariya in the Dec. 29 edition of BluesCast, the official podcast of the St. Louis Blues. Listen

An MRI had revealed injuries in two spots in the joint area of the left hip.

Davidson said the surgery repaired a torn labrum inside the joint along with "some bone work."

"He'll be 100 percent a long time before camp," Davidson said. "He'll be back to being Paul Kariya that should be better than he has been for years."

The 34-year-old Kariya is in the second season of a three-year, $18 million contract.

The surgery was performed in Vail, Colo., and Kariya will stay in Colorado to begin rehab.