Photo Credit: Segei Belski/USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Vancouver Canucks’ season is over, Sven Baertschi will have an opportunity to help the Utica Comets win the Calder Cup.

Baertschi, who dressed for Vancouver in Games 5 and 6 of the club’s first-round playoff series loss to the Calgary Flames this passed week, was reassigned to Vancouver’s top AHL affiliate on Monday, the club announced.

The 22-year-old forward is one of two Canucks roster players eligible to compete in the AHL playoffs, along with Ronalds Kenins who was not reassigned. Perhaps we’ll get more information on why Kenins hasn’t been sent back to Utica, but it seems probable that he’s dealing with an injury.

The Comets are current tied 1-1 with Vancouver’s former affiliate the Chicago Wolves in their first-round best-of-5 Calder Cup playoff series. The Comets open the Utica leg of their first round series on Thursday night, and will play the final three games of the series at the Aud.

Acquired from the Flames at the 2015 trade deadline for a second-round pick, Baertschi impressed in limited action with the Canucks and has been a point per game player with the Comets. It’ll be interesting to see where he fits into the Comets lineup, but presumably he’ll either bump Hunter Shinkaruk to the second line or else he’ll play alongside Alex Friesen and Cory Conacher on that second line, bumping Brendan Gaunce to a depth role.