It’s been eight years since Brandon Prust last put on an American Hockey League jersey, but it appears like that streak will be snapped in the near future. The Vancouver Canucks have assigned him to the Utica Comets, though there’s no word as to when his first game will come.

Prust was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens earlier this year in a player-for-player deal that sent the troubled Zack Kassian and a fifth-round draft pick the other way. Prust has been a bit of a disappointment since showing up in Vancouver, scoring less frequently than he did in Montreal and New York and playing with less of an edge than he did prior. Despite this, he was still earning regular shifts, including some questionable selections late in close games.

With the Canucks looking to use their younger talent more frequently, the 31-year-old was placed on waivers this week and cleared without a hitch. As Prust makes $2.5 million this season, the team will continue to hold a cap hit of $1.55 million while he plays with the Comets. If nothing else, he adds a little bit of depth to a team clinging on to the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, who recently received Chris Higgins in a similar fashion.

While I’m sure Prust can’t be happy with playing in the AHL, this is an opportunity to prove to other teams that he’s capable of being an effective enough role player under sheltered minutes. He’s not too many years removed from picking up 29 points with the New York Rangers, after all. He also gets to be closer to his wife, who still has work contracts in Montreal and didn’t move to British Columbia with him.

Assuming that Prust won’t be joining the team in Newfoundland this weekend, his first potential appearance would be on Tuesday, when the Comets take on the second overall Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.