The Vancouver Canucks have opted to bring up defenceman Mark Friedman while forward Arshdeep Bains has been assigned to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.

The move comes after Filip Hronek was injured during Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hronek appeared to be in discomfort after getting hit into the boards, creating a sizeable hole for the Canucks’ defensive group. Earlier this morning, reports emerged that Hronek will be out for a while, so Friedman comes in to provide some immediate relief on the back end.

While it remains unclear at the time of filing how long the Czech blue liner is expected to be out of the lineup, the injury only heightens their need for a top-four defenceman, as their already depleted blue line has now been further decimated. Hronek is the latest key player to be out of the lineup, following the absences of J.T. Miller (personal leave), Brock Boeser (upper-body injury), and Dakota Joshua (cancer recovery) earlier this season.

To this point in the season, Bains has primarily been used in a fourth-line role through 11 games played with the big club. Bains was a healthy scratch in last night’s game against the Penguins, and logged only 7:10 of ice time Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Combined with his waiver-exempt status, it made for an easy decision to reassign Bains to Abbotsford.

Waiting Arshdeep Bains clears the roster spot needed to add Friedman to the roster, who will excited to make his season debut for the Canucks when he gets the chance. Given the major scare that he had last month after a dangerous collision with Montana Onyebuchi, it is great to see that he is back in the fold and now has an opportunity with the main team following Hronek’s injury.

The defenceman has picked up four points (a goal and three assists) through eight AHL games, while he picked up an assist in 23 games with the NHL squad last year. Friedman inked a one-year extension with the Canucks this offseason at a league minimum cap hit of $775,000.