Marian Gaborik had successful abdominal surgery Thursday.

He will require 3-4 weeks to heal and is expected to spend most of that time in Columbus. Gaborik is expected to be OK in time for training camp after he had a "mesh patch," that was put in place during a sports hernia procedure he had in 2001, adjusted.

Marian Gaborik will have abdominal surgery on Wednesday or Thursday and he's projected to need three-to-four weeks to recover.

"Marian experienced some soreness towards the end of the season and after undergoing his exit physical and further examination today, it was decided that surgery is the best option for a quick and full recovery," said Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson. "Marian will have the surgery and after a three to four week recovery period will be able to resume off-season training." He won't get to play for Slovakia at the IIHF World Championships, but he should be ready for training camp in the fall. Gaborik notched three goals and five assists in 12 games with Columbus after he was traded by the New York Rangers.

Veteran left winger Marian Gaborik, acquired in a blockbuster trade from the New York Rangers three weeks ago, has three goals and four assists in 10 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets are 7-3 with Gaborik in the lineup. They are coming off a five-game trip that netted four victories. Their sudden and surprising ascension is among the most captivating stories of the post-lockout NHL. Columbus coach Todd Richards on Gaborik: "What I see," Richards said, "is a player who is engaged." Forward Vinny Prospal added: "He's a huge part in the way other teams have to respect his ability to score, and it opens up a lot of holes for other players," Prospal said. "He knows we're a hard-working team and we don't necessarily score a lot of goals. He also knows in our system, we don't give up a lot, either. He understands all of this and how he fits into it."