Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign D Tucker Poolman to 4-Year, $10M Deal ($2.5M AAV)

[Hit the post]

I think he will be a useful player that will be difficult to displace in the top 6. To me he is Aaron Rome at worst (a depth defenseman who is relied upon as a key contributor) and Tanev at best.

(a 30+ year old Tanev still managed to be 10th in voting for the Norris despite zero offense).

As a point of reference, when Rome played his first season as a Canuck, we had the following blueline:

Edler
Salo
Bieksa
Ehrhoff
Mitchell
SOB

ahead of him. Poolman will be #5 or #6 on this team in the opening game.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Poolman signing is fine. $$ were expected on UFA day 1. Term is long. But there's way too much being made of it. I don't see this as a Beagle comparison given that he just turned 28 and he's a D-man. Interesting that his last two years are at $3M. This has been a theme in JBs signing (see Holtby, Virtanen) - pay less now, decide later what to do with the later years of the contract.

I think he will be a useful player that will be difficult to displace in the top 6. To me he is Aaron Rome at worst (a depth defenseman who is relied upon as a key contributor) and Tanev at best. Who knows, given that he has taken a little bit of a slow boat to the NHL and really is in just his 3rd full NHL season, there may be some upside that he has yet to have an opportunity to show. Just to be clear, I don't think he'll reach Tanev-esque contributor status but I also think he could be a guy who that will always be in the line up when healthy.

It does seem though, that the 3 guys on the right side (Myers,Hamonic, Poolman) dont perform that well when they are pushed too far up the lineup....So we'll see there.

I would have gladly traded in Hamonic and Poolman for one Adam Larsson.

 

[iceburg]

It does seem though, that the 3 guys on the right side (Myers,Hamonic, Poolman) don't perform that well when they are pushed too far up the lineup....So we'll see there.

I would have gladly traded in Hamonic and Poolman for one Adam Larsson.

I agree. They don't have a bonafide top pairing RHD and there isn't consensus that the two guys who may be considered top 4 D-men (Hamonic and Myers) are actually that.

Over the Poolman contract term, a few things need to be worked out that will impact his role.

1. Is Rathbone a Top4 D-man? I'm banking he is.
2. Is Juolevi an NHL regular and will he develop into a top 4 role? I'd say the first is uncertain and the second is a likely no.
3. Can one of Rathbone or Hughes play the right side? Provided Rathbone becomes a top 4, that would change to look pretty quickly. (Hughes/Hamonic, OEL/Rathbone, Juolevi/Myers, Poolman)
4. Will Woo develop into an NHL regular? I believe so, starting 22/23 or 23/24.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

It does seem though, that the 3 guys on the right side (Myers,Hamonic, Poolman) dont perform that well when they are pushed too far up the lineup....So we'll see there.

I would have gladly traded in Hamonic and Poolman for one Adam Larsson.

Larsson was my top target too. Would have worked amazing with Hughes.

 

[Hit the post]

I agree. They don't have a bonafide top pairing RHD and there isn't consensus that the two guys who may be considered top 4 D-men (Hamonic and Myers) are actually that.

Over the Poolman contract term, a few things need to be worked out that will impact his role.

1. Is Rathbone a Top4 D-man? I'm banking he is.
2. Is Juolevi an NHL regular and will he develop into a top 4 role? I'd say the first is uncertain and the second is a likely no.
3. Can one of Rathbone or Hughes play the right side? Provided Rathbone becomes a top 4, that would change to look pretty quickly. (Hughes/Hamonic, OEL/Rathbone, Juolevi/Myers, Poolman)
4. Will Woo develop into an NHL regular? I believe so, starting 22/23 or 23/24.

The issue to me is that pretty much everyone (Poolman included) has to have a bounce back year for the blueline as a whole to be even just passable. I think Hamonic, for the overall season, had a respectible year so I exclude him from that "need a bounce year'. He's the least of my worries on the blueline. The warts on Myers (who is at best an aging (31 years old) #4 ) will show as he won't be able to be sheltered this upcoming season.

 

[Cornwallace]

Would have much preferred Hakanpaa at 3 x 1.5 than Poolman...

 

[nowhereman]

Would have much preferred Hakanpaa at 3 x 1.5 than Poolman...

Agree, a better player for almost half the cap hit and one less year. Frustrating...

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Would have much preferred Hakanpaa at 3 x 1.5 than Poolman...

Might have got him if we had more Finnish players on the team...that was one of the determining factors for him joining the Stars.

 

[docbenton]

Would have much preferred Hakanpaa at 3 x 1.5 than Poolman...

Poolman is a better skater, people will be impressed by his mobility.

One question is what the pairs on the PK will be...will they run 2 RHDs on a second pairing or trust one of Rathbone or Hughes to play some PK shifts?

 

[MS]

could not agree more. Everyone just keeps saying “guys like OEL and Poolman are gonna be good”. But when asked why crickets. It’s the most disingenuous bullshit I’ve ever seen.

If an acquisition seems good, ‘It’s great!!!’ and if an acquisition seems bad it’s ‘Wait and see!’

It’s literally impossible for Benning to do wrong in these peoples’ eyes by those metrics.

 

[Wo Yorfat]

If an acquisition seems good, ‘It’s great!!!’ and if an acquisition seems bad it’s ‘Wait and see!’

It’s literally impossible for Benning to do wrong in these peoples’ eyes by those metrics.

Solution seems easy. Just have a thread for fan fiction that these folks can play in. After every game regardless of score, celebrate an 11-0 victory, say 3 hail bennings, and move on to the next. Dynasty Jim isn't criticized and facts don't muddy things up.

 

[Ita]

Feels like there are a lot of angry people in here for a guy making 4yr - 2.5 mil AAV. Ya, it's probably another player we instantly know is not going to outperform his contract, and ya the right side of the D looks disappointing heading into next season.

But from what I can tell, he looks like a defenseman who can play defense respectably. So I'll take that at this point. I imagine he'll have a good chance to earn that extra 500-750k having to babysit our offensive D men. At the very least it's a contract that I can actually see Benning being able to move as well, like Benn's, as opposed to his other dips into UFA...

You can't look at things in a vacuum.

The 2.5M AAV might very well makes the difference between a bridge vs a long term deal with Hughes and Petey.

This is an unnecessary signing, at least before we sort out our RFA situations.

 

[VanJack]

For comparisons sake, the Oilers just signed Cody Ceci to a four year deal at $3.25 AAV...now on his fourth NHL team.

Yikes! I may never be able to criticize the Poolman signing again.

 

[Rumsfeld]

For comparisons sake, the Oilers just signed Cody Ceci to a four year deal at $3.25 AAV...now on his fourth NHL team.

Yikes! I may never be able to criticize the Poolman signing again.

Ceci is a better player.

 

[Breakers]

28 years old and 120 games played

...... and he gets $10+ million and term

Ok

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

You can't look at things in a vacuum.

The 2.5M AAV might very well makes the difference between a bridge vs a long term deal with Hughes and Petey.

This is an unnecessary signing, at least before we sort out our RFA situations.

Benning Bro logic goes as follows...
$2.5M cap hit or Poolman: It's tiny, it's wee, it's the cost of doing business, this stuff doesn't matter, stop being toxic
$3M Luongo cap recapture: OH MY GOD WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING THIS TEAM CAN'T CONTEND IT'S SO HARD TO DEAL WITH

 

[Superlative Soup]

Worst contract signed yesterday.

 

[VanJack]

Ceci is a better player.

Seriously? He's only 27, but the quintessential definition of a journeyman d-man. Drafted by Ottawa, he was decent there over six seasons. But he's been on treadmill ever since, wearing out his welcome in TO and in Pittsburgh. Now on his third team in three years. He's in danger of becoming a younger version of Eric Gudbranson.

He may be marginally better than Poolman, but you can't sign depth d-men to $3.25m contracts.

 

[timw33]

Jon Merril at 850k 1 year lol.

Poolman should have been capped at Hankanpaas 1.5MM x 3.

 

[VanJack]

Lol! Benning claims there were up to 12 teams in on Poolman. Maybe the same 12 teams who were all in on Holtby?

 

[Breakers]

I’m glad we are now at a point of comparing Ceci to poolman


This reminds me of teams debating players from the 2016 free agency class on who sucks less.

 

[The Vasili Jerry]

It’s funny that Hakanpaa actually did have a bidding war for him and he still got $1m less per season and a year less on term.

 

[JAK]

It’s funny that Hakanpaa actually did have a bidding war for him and he still got $1m less per season and a year less on term.

Maybe he likes playing with Finns and push for a cup, than more money?

Money isn't everything.

 

[Siludin]

Benning Bro logic goes as follows...
$2.5M cap hit or Poolman: It's tiny, it's wee, it's the cost of doing business, this stuff doesn't matter, stop being toxic
$3M Luongo cap recapture: OH MY GOD WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING THIS TEAM CAN'T CONTEND IT'S SO HARD TO DEAL WITH

Because the cap hit above a league minimum player for Poolman is only ~$1.5-1.75m.
The difference in cap hit between what Poolman is getting paid and what you would suggest is a genuine replacement (Poolman's "overpayment factor") is probably at maximum $1m, maybe only $500,000?
$3M is absolute dead overhead. It's about 2-6x more impactful depending on which route you proceed to cover Poolman's minutes in an alternative scenario.
I also try to remind everyone that Poolman makes below-average NHL salary.

 

[dman34]

I can't help but singing "Spoonman" by Soundgarden and whenever Cornell sings spoonman I sub in "Poolman"