Canucks Travis Hamonic to Return, Tucker Poolman Hurt

At one point the Vancouver Canucks dabbled around the trade market, or lack thereof, in an effort to move him. Then there was chatter he might forego the season or even retire. Now he’s returning. It’s defenceman Travis Hamonic. Just prior to the Canucks home opener Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, Canucks General Manager Jim Benning released a statement.

General Manager Jim Benning announced today that Travis Hamonic has reported to Vancouver. He will join the Abbotsford Canucks in the coming days. More details to come when available.

Hamonic missed training camp for personal reasons and during the preseason the theories abounded, including “anti-vaxxer”. Benning has insisted all along that it’s a personal matter and that none of those theories were accurate.

In a weird coincidence, Hamonic’s fellow right-shot defenceman Tucker Poolman suffered an upper-body injury last night against the Wild and left the game midway through the second period.

“He had an upper body injury when he left the game, I don’t know what it is yet,” Head Coach Travis Green said postgame.

Poolman, who’s been paired this season mostly with a fellow summer acquisition Oliver Ekman-Larsson, left the game after playing at total of 9:39, including two-minutes shorthanded. He delivered one hit and bocked one shot before departing.

Poolman started the second period, and also played the first shift after Jonas Brodin’s goal at 2:27 of the second. His third shift of the period with Jack Rathbone was brief. The two were on for an outstanding scoring opportunity for Minnesota’s Frederick Gaudreau, who Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko robbed with a glove save on the doorstep. That was Poolman’s final shift. There was no unusually intense physical contact in his three second period shifts.

So the plot thickens on the right side. Hamonic has plenty of work to do to get ready, but expeditious preparation might be desperately required. For now, the Vancouver Canucks D-corps is potentially even thinner.