Canucks place forward Micheal Ferland on long-term Injured Reserve after brief return from concussion

The Vancouver Canucks were holding out hope that the return of forward Micheal Ferland from injured reserve last week would help boost the team and their depth. Instead, Ferland didn’t last two games as Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor reports that the team placed him on long-term injured reserve.

The 27-year-old suffered a concussion on Oct. 30 against the Los Angeles Kings and missed 17 straight games due to the injury, but was thought to be ready for action last week. However, he played sparingly in both contests this week, which included just 4:12 against Toronto on Tuesday. He saw a specialist on Thursday about symptoms that have risen recently and the news was enough for the Canucks to put Ferland on LTIR.

With the move to LTIR, Vancouver can save his $3.5M salary and be able to maneuver a little easier until Ferland is ready to return. Signed to a four-year, $14M contract this summer, the forward was supposed to add some key middle-six depth and provide some size and grit in the lineup. Instead, Ferland has only appeared in 14 games with a goal and five assists.