Canucks place Ballard on LTIR

Toronto, ON – The Vancouver Canucks have reportedly placed term injured reserve.

The move was reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie through his Twitter account on Saturday afternoon. It is a move which frees up valuable salary-cap space ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

Ballard hasn't played since February 7 after suffering a neck injury and concussion. He has totaled one goal and seven points with 64 penalty minutes in 47 games for Vancouver this season.

The 29-year-old is scheduled to make $4.2 million this year according to McKenzie, which is identical to his cap hit.

The Canucks, who are idle, moved atop the NHL standings with a 2-1 win at New Jersey on Friday.