The Vancouver Canucks are bringing in defenseman Tucker Poolman. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Poolman has signed a four-year, $10MM deal with the club, moving on after four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets to begin his NHL career.
This may be one of the more surprising contracts of the day thus far, as Poolman has been viewed as little more than a depth option in his short pro career. A standout at the University of North Dakota, Poolman was a major point producer in the NCAA but it helped that he played until he was 24. In four years since, he has just 19 points in 120 games and struggled to earn an elevated role in Winnipeg. He spent an entire season exclusively in the AHL and has never played more than 57 NHL games in a season.
The Canucks see something in the 28-year-old though. Poolman has good size and contributes in all three zones, but to this point has not excelled at any one aspect. The team seems willing to commit long term and put him in a concrete starting role in hopes that he can take than next step given more responsibility.