31-year-old officially misses the entire season after struggling with concussion issues

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Tom Banks
September 19, 2024 (11:10)

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Tucker Poolman has been struggling with concussions for quite some time, and on the eve of the new season, it has been revealed he'll miss significant time.

The Vancouver Canucks have dealt with plenty of injury issues in recent times, with Dakota Joshua, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko all still dealing with health circumstances that circulated last season. Now, they'll miss yet another key piece of their lineup, this time for the entire 2024/25 season, as it has been announced that Tucker Poolman will remain sidelined as he deals with significant concussion issues.

The 31-year-old has played in just 3 games over the past two seasons, missing the entire 2023/24 campaign for Vancouver, and at this point in his career, retirement or a return are equally possible outcomes for his health issues. Poolman was a fifth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets back in 2013 and has played in 163 NHL games thus far, but after inking a four-year deal with Vancouver in the summer of 2021, he has managed just 43 games, and will now hit free agency again next summer on the back of these issues.

It's unclear what the future holds for the talented defenseman, but at this stage of his career, retirement must be a genuine option, so hopefully he can use the next 12 months to stay in shape and get past the issues, but as of right now, it doesn't look good for the Iowa native.