Look for the Vancouver Canucks to buy out the contract of Keith Ballard in the off-season.
The Canucks are up against the cap and should they buy out Ballard and trade Roberto Luongo, they will free up $9.5 million in cap space which will go a long way to signing the seven or eight players they will need next season to fill out their roster. Stay tuned.

Keith Ballard (back) returned to the Canucks' lineup on Thursday.
Ballard was originally expected to miss that contest. He had no points and a neutral rating in 10:20 minutes of ice time.

Keith Ballard returned to action on Thursday April 25.

Keith Ballard (back) won't play Thursday and is still considered day-to-day.
Ballard felt stiffness in his back after a fight on April 20. The blueliner has two assists on the season.

Keith Ballard (back strain) hopes to practice with the team this week and is aiming to return Saturday night.
Ballard injured his back Saturday and missed Monday's game. The Canucks would likely prefer Ballard's healthy for the playoffs, so we're guessing they'll be as cautious as possible the rest of this week. Stay tuned.

Keith Ballard suffered a back strain in the third period Saturday.
Ballard is hoping to play on Monday but that is no sure thing. Stay tuned.

Keith Ballard (foot) will return to the Vancouver Canucks' lineup on Monday.
Ballard has two assists and 18 penalty minutes in 27 games this season. This will be his first game since March 26.

The Vancouver Canucks have placed Keith Ballard (foot) on injured reserve.
Ballard suffered a fractured foot 13 days ago and although the fracture is considered minor, he was placed on the injured list. Adjust your lineup accordingly.

Keith Ballard has a fractured foot, but the injury is apparently very minor.
Coach Alain Vigneault said Ballard suffered a "very, very, very" minor foot fracture Tuesday against Columbus, so he won't play Thursday night. He skated with the full team in the morning, but he'll still get some time off to heal.

Keith Ballard dressed as a forward on the third line Thursday night.
The Canucks were short on forwards due to injuries to Chris Higgins, Steve Pinizzotto and Zack Kassian, so Ballard filled in up front. He had one shot during his 11:39 of ice time while playing alongside Andrew Ebbett and Dale Weise.

Keith Ballard played on Monday after being a healthy scratch for the previous three games.
Ballard was minus-one in 14:18 minutes of action and was minus-one. He has no fantasy value with only one assist in 22 games.

Keith Ballard logged 16:44 in his return from a charley horse on Sunday.
Ballard missed Thursday's game due to the injury. He had three shots on goal and three hits in his return. With just one point and 16 penalty minutes in 21 contests this season, he has no fantasy value in standard leagues.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard will play on Sunday.
In case you were wondering, Ballard isn't injured or a healthy scratch. He's been banged up and/or in the doghouse much of this season.

Keith Ballard left Tuesday night's matchup against San Jose with an undisclosed lower body injury.
Ballard was a healthy scratch in each of the past two games, and faces even worse luck in his return. We'll update you once we know more about the injury.

Keith Ballard is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday night.
Ballard was a healthy scratch the last two games, but it appears like he'll have a chance to get out of coach Alain Vigneault's doghouse Tuesday night. Ballard doesn't have a ton of fantasy value in most formats, but could be a decent option in deeper leagues.

Keith Ballard was a healthy scratch on Sunday for the second straight game.
He was replaced by Andrew Albert once again as it was the fourth game in a row for Albert. Keep Ballard out of your lineup for now.

Keith Ballard watched Saturday night's win over Los Angeles from the press box.
Ballard was replaced in the Canucks lineup by Andrew Alberts and finds himself squarely in coach Alain Vigneault's doghouse. When asked about his reasoning for making the change, Vigneault simply said "I felt the other guys gave us a better chance to win." It's not looking promising for Ballard at this point.

Keith Ballard's strong play has been a great help to the Canucks' blue line this season.
After having been a healthy scratch seven times over the past few seasons, the resurgent Ballard has found a permanent role on Vancouver's third pairing, which has allowed the team to address only six blueliners on most nights. Assistant coach Rick Bowness offered praise about his third pairing, saying "We have three good pairings. We're not afraid to run anybody against anybody." He may have only recorded one assist thus far, but with a plus-5 rating and 14 penalty minutes, Ballard could offer help in deep rotisserie formats.