Canucks’ migraine-minded Tucker Poolman ready to dive into game action

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The National Hockey League pre-season is a slog for those who have locked up roster spots and a daily grind to initiate and impress for those on the bubble.

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For Tucker Poolman, there’s an added dimension to his determination and diligence.

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The Vancouver Canucks’ defenceman hopes that an encouraging off-season of healing, coupled with a methodical medical and progressive workout plan, will allow an elevated pace and peace of mind in training camp and the pre-season to become a right-shot depth option for head coach Bruce Boudreau.

Poolman, 29, was limited to 40 games last season and ended the campaign on injury reserve. He played 13 of the first 14 games, but a pair of episodes would derail his season and present a level of concern about finding a solution to continuous migraine setbacks.

Migraine headaches can be hereditary or caused by a number of factors, including concussions, and can last for hours or days. During a Wednesday practice at the University of B.C., there was no evidence that Poolman was struggling to keep pace or execute drills in systems play. He moved well and also took penalty-kill shifts.

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However, the litmus test will come Thursday in a pre-season meeting with the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Arena.

“It will put everything to the test,” Poolman told Postmedia on Wednesday. “I’ve scrimmaged and taken hits and been doing the regular things and not really thinking about it too much. I’m really looking forward to it because it (migraine) changes your perspective and you just want to be grateful for the time you have basically.

“Most injuries, you have some sort of timetable. This one is very unique and not a lot of people have been in my situation.”

NEXT GAME

Thursday

Seattle Kraken vs. Vancouver Canucks

6:30 p.m., Rogers Arena. TV: Sportsnet. Radio: 650 AM.

From an expected heightened pace to contact and fatigue Thursday, Poolman is anxious to monitor how off-season consultations with neurologists translate to when it mattered most after a summer of listening, learning and training.

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“Rehabbing, resting and recovery and just trying to get in good shape,” Poolman said of making progress to alleviate migraine concerns. “The short (improvement) answer is yes, but it’s complicated and nuanced and there are a lot of layers to it.

“I’ve talked to multiple neurologists and you just try to figure it out because there are so many little things it could be. We kind of ruled out a lot of things with the process of elimination and now it’s just working on rehabbing and using the appropriate muscles that you’re supposed to from the shoulders up.

“The strength of the shoulders and neck and all that work together to support the head, but it’s kind of complicated because that’s just the surface of it with other angles to treat it as well — other pathways that you can go through.”

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The common thought is that an elevated heart rate can trigger and sustain migraines and that was thought to be the root of Poolman’s problems. Apparently not.

“That wasn’t the issue because I would bike and do a lot of workouts,” he clarified. “We couldn’t figure it out for a while, but we’ve got a handle on it now on what was triggering it.

“The whole migraine thing, there are still a lot of things we don’t know when you get to that level of issues. So far, I’ve been responding well.”

Poolman had a migraine episode in Winnipeg on Jan. 27. He played 7:54 of the first period in a 5-1 road triumph and didn’t return for the second period. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound blueliner didn’t absorb a heavy hit that could have resulted in a whiplash to promote discomfort and headaches.

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He would then be sidelined for 26 games, but a long road to recovery showed promise with symptom-free skating and then practising.

However, then came the second setback on April 3 at Rogers Arena in a 3-2 overtime loss to Las Vegas. Poolman didn’t play a second-period shift and left after just 4:25.

It was later revealed to be a recurrence of what’s hampered his career. He had landed a first-period, defensive-zone hit on Michael Amadio at 3:23 and followed with similar contact on Jonas Rondbjerg at 8:30 in a third pairing with Travis Dermott.

He seemed fine, but he wasn’t.

Poolman had been symptom-free for two weeks and the last episode ended his season. Poolman also missed a game with a migraine while with the Winnipeg Jets in 2018.

Fast forward and Boudreau has been impressed by Poolman’s methodical return to be a contributor and not just a passing roster thought. The Canucks will likely carry eight defencemen and Poolman now has a better shot to be in the back-end mix.

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“He doesn’t look tentative, he looks fine,” said Boudreau. “The timing is going to be off in the games and that’s why he’s playing (Thursday) to get it back.

“When he got hurt in Winnipeg, he was playing extremely well and if he can get to that level again — we were thinking all summer we might not have something — and now we’ve got a guy who can play real well.”

Poolman has three years remaining on a four-year, $10-million free-agent contract signed July 28, 2021 that carries a $2.5-million annual salary cap hit (all figures in U.S. dollars). Total remaining salaries are $2.25 million, $3 million and $3 million.

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