Vancouver Canucks forward Arshdeep Bains cleared NHL waivers and will report to AHL Abbotsford.

Bains served as a healthy scratch for Sunday morning’s matinee against the New Jersey Devils. He would skate as a placeholder for Brock Boeser for Tuesday’s morning skate ahead of their 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers.

The Surrey, BC, native will head back to an Abbotsford Canucks squad, which has lost three of its last four games. Bains will join Nils Aman, Joe LaBate, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Mackenzie MacEachern, Victor Mancini, Lukas Reichel, Nikita Tolopilo and Jiri Patera as players who have appeared in games for Vancouver, but are now in Abbotsford.

Leading the team with 43 points last season, Bains will be a big offensive boost to Abbotsford’s lineup, which ranks second-last in goals with 52. Ben Berard’s six goals, nine assists for 15 points through 25 games currently lead Abbotsford. Canucks’ 2022 seventh-round pick, Kirill Kudryavtsev, leads the backend in scoring with one goal and 10 assists for 11 points.

Abbotsford has a two-game homestand against the Tucson Roadrunners on Friday, December 20, and Saturday, December 21, before the Christmas break. They then hit the road for games against the Coachella Valley Firebirds (December 27), San Diego Dulls (December 28), and Manitoba Moose (December 31), before the New Year.

He will leave 2024-25 Calder Cup Champion teammates Linus Karlsson, Aatu Räty and Max Sasson as players who still remain with the big club.

Bains started the season in the Canucks’ top-six, skating with Filip Chytil and Conor Garland. But was quickly demoted to the fourth line, skating with familiar faces in Karlsson and Sasson, earning the nickname “The Abby Line”. Through 26 games, Bains racked up one goal and four assists for five points before he was placed on waivers.

The Canucks have 22 healthy skaters on the roster: 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders. Forward Elias Pettersson is expected to make his return at some point on the road trip before the Christmas break, and assigning Bains to Abbotsford opens up a roster spot for Pettersson to return.