Sports

After having been a healthy scratch seven times over the past few seasons, the resurgent Ballard has found a permanent role on Vancouver's third pairing, which has allowed the team to address only six blueliners on most nights. Assistant coach Rick Bowness offered praise about his third pairing, saying "We have three good pairings. We're not afraid to run anybody against anybody." He may have only recorded one assist thus far, but with a plus-5 rating and 14 penalty minutes, Ballard could offer help in deep rotisserie formats.