Canucks’ Tucker Poolman to miss 2024-25 season

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced that defenseman Tucker Poolman will miss the entirety of the 2024-25 NHL season.

Poolman did not play at all during the 2023-24 season and only appeared in three games during 2022-23, registering one assist, his last game was on Oct. 18, 2022. Poolman has been dealing with neurological complications from migraines since the 2021-22 season.

The 31-year-old signed a four-year, $10 million contract with Vancouver prior to the 2021-22 season. As per details of the contract, Poolman’s cap hit is $2.5 million per season.

Poolman was originally selected No. 127 overall in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets. He spent three years in Winnipeg, making his NHL debut during the 2017-18 season and tallied two points in 24 games. Poolman picked up a full-time role on the Jets’ third pairing the following season and in 2019-20 registered a career-high 16 points in 57 games.

Over parts of seven NHL seasons, Poolman has tallied 23 points in 163 regular season games. He has added two points in 14 postseason contests.

Prior to his NHL tenure, the Dubuque, Iowa, native spent three years with the University of North Dakota in the NCAA. Poolman collected 72 points in 118 NCAA games, won an NCAA Championship and was named the NCAA Best Defensive Defenseman in 2016-17.

Last season, Allvin addressed the media and Poolman’s situation, “We will continue to support and work with him in his recovery,” Allvin said in a statement. “This is a very unfortunate situation and we feel for Tucker and all that he has gone through in dealing with his issues. Not being able to play the game because of circumstances beyond your control is never easy, and we hope Tucker returns to health soon.”