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Canucks inform Ballard that contract will be bought out

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On Monday, the Canucks placed Keith Ballard on regular waivers with the intention of buying out his contract.

Today, they informed the much-maligned defenseman they were going to do exactly that.

Ballard’s agent, Ben Hankinson, told News1130 Sports Vancouver that Canuck brass informed his client the remaining two years and $8.4 million of his contract would be bought out.

The move comes after Ballard cleared waivers and the Canucks “pushed the trade front” leading up to Sunday’s draft, according to Hankinson.

A former Coyote and Panther that scored 39 points in his rookie campaign, Ballard never found his fit in Vancouver after being acquired from Florida for a relatively steep price -- Michael Grabner, Steve Bernier and Vancouver’s first-round pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, which the Panthers used to select Quinton Howden.

Ballard was often made a healthy scratch under head coach Alain Vigneault, and even got a brief twirl at forward as the club tried to implement him into the lineup however possible.

In the end, though, the club clearly didn’t trust him in important moments. The Canucks have played 34 postseason games since Ballard came aboard; he only played in 14 of them.

With the move, Vancouver gains some much-needed cap space (it now has $7.4 million, according to CapGeek.)