Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler has been suspended two games for charging into Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith.

The play happened during Thursday's 2-1 Vancouver victory over the Coyotes. Edler was assessed a five-minute major after running into Smith behind the net late in the second period. Smith was injured on the play and finished the period but wasn't back in net for the third. He was replaced by Jason Labarbera. Edler will miss games on Saturday at Los Angeles and Sunday at Colorado. He is eligible to return on Tuesday when the Canucks host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Alexander Edler will have a disciplinary hearing over the phone Friday afternoon for his hit Thursday night on Phoenix goalie Mike Smith.

Edler was given a five-minute major for charging on the play and Smith didn't return for the start of the third period. The Vancouver defenseman is just starting to work his way out of a terrible slump, with five points and a plus-3 rating in his last five contests.

Alexander Edler scored the lone regulation goal for the Canucks on a wrist shot in the first period in Vancouver's 2-1 shootout win over Chicago Friday night.

Edler is well on his way to a beautiful follow up of last year's 49 point season. Through 8 games he's got 7 points and is the Canuck's top defence option.

The Canucks have signed Alex Edler to a six-year extension.

No word yet on the dollar amount, but his last deal carried a $3.25 million cap hit. The defenseman was set to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Edler is a very good offensive defenseman, and, at 26 is only about to begin his prime years. He had 49 points in 82 games last season.

Alexander Edler (back) has been declared fit to play hockey.

Edler will now be part of the lockout and will stopped getting paid by the Canucks. He underwent back surgery in January 2011 but managed to play a full season last year, despite his back not being 100 percent. "After surgery, I don't think the back can get back to 100 per cent, but that doesn't mean you can't play at 100 per cent," Edler said. "(Another) surgery would have been the last resort. I've been doing rehab and talking to doctors and it's been going the right way. Not quickly, but it's not getting worse, which is good. It's an injury that can be very frustrating because it takes a while. The next step will be to play games and unfortunately we can't do that right now. I've been doing contact in practice, but it's different in a game. And I wouldn't be cleared unless the doctors and I were confident I could handle it. I don't know if I was 100 per cent last year, but it didn't affect me. I could play to my capacity and it's getting to a point where you can play

Alexander Edler continues to rehab his back but according to Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province, surgery has not been ruled out.

Edler has had back problems throughout his NHL career and they flared up once again in September. Had there been a hockey season, Edler would still be out of action. Edler's back woes are a big concern to the Canucks as they chose not to re-sign him before the September 15 lockout. Should free agency remain the same once both sides settle, he can become a free agent after the 2012-13 season. He is a very good offensive defenseman but his long term back problems have to be a concern.

Defensemen Alex Edler and Jason Garrison skated with locked-out teammates at the University of British Columbia Sunday and that could have meant the Vancouver Canucks' duo had been cleared of respective back and groin injuries and that the NHL club was no longer paying their salaries during the labour impasse.

Not so, though. Edler and Garrison have not been cleared and were technically skating with the Thunderbirds to gain a better evaluation of their ongoing rehab since the Sept. 15 lockout. And you could technically argue that teammates Cory Schneider, Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malhotra and players' union brethren James Reimer, Jim Vandermeer, Andrew Cogliano and Rod Pelley were in the area and decided to drop into the practice. Technicalities aside, participating in an up-tempo skate with the T-Birds was the best progress news with the league on the cusp of cancelling the Winter Classic. Edler suffered a bulging disc during the 2010-11 season and underwent a microdisectomy procedure to relieve pressure. Garrison has had groin injuries.

Alexander Edler is "doing well" in his recovery from a back injury, according to Vancouver GM Mike Gillis.

"Alex is doing well," he said. "He's been put through some really hard workouts over this past week and he's progressed really nicely so we're hopeful that we won't have an issue moving forward." Edler will continue to be treated by the team for a slight bulging disc in his back until he is cleared to join his locked out brethren.

The mystery surrounding the status of Vancouver Canucks defensemen Alex Edler and Jason Garrison has been solved.

The Canucks confirmed that Edler is dealing with a slightly bulging disc in his back while Garrison has a groin injury. That means both players will remain on the Canucks' payroll during the current NHL lockout until they are deemed fit to play. Assistant general manager Laurence Gilman said Friday that both players suffered the injuries while training for the upcoming season before the NHL lockout took effect Sept. 15. "Both players sustained injuries in the course of their preparation for the season prior to Sept. 15 which necessitates their rehabilitation being supervised by the club," Gilman said. "Alex has a bulging disc in his back."

Alexander Edler didn't want to talk about his suspected injury status on Wednesday.

Kevin Bieksa told reporters that Edler and Jason Garrison would not be playing in his charity game because they were "unhealthy." They were both skating with teammates in sessions until they disappeared when the CBA expired on Sept. 15, which fueled speculation that they are on the unfit to play list. Edler joined banged up center Ryan Kesler at UBC on Wednesday. He talked about possibly needing surgery back in April for an injury he sustained during Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final when he had two fingers broken. "One still hasn't healed yet," he said at the time. "It's not like it's been bothering me all year, but if there's something we can do about it, I might consider that. We'll have to see." It's strange that he wouldn't disclose the issue, but Jason Botchford of The Province speculated that it may be because he is upset over not being able to get ready for Vancouver's regular-season opener in Calgary because of the lockout.