With news breaking today that Joe Morrow will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury, the Winnipeg Jets will need to call up a seventh defender as insurance before they head out on the road for a three game road-trip that starts on February 20th.
Tucker Poolman should be that defender.
Poolman, 25, has played quite well for the Manitoba Moose since returning from a concussion that kept him out for a month and a half. In 14 games since his return, he has tallied two goals and nine assists (11 points), as his offensive game seems to now be reaching the level of his defensive game. Poolman has 15 total points in 27 games this season, giving him 25 in his 44 game AHL career. He’s also riding a six game point streak.
The Jets’ 5th round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft had one goal and one assist in 24 games for the big club last year.
For those wondering why i would choose Poolman over Niku, to me it’s simple: you don’t develop sitting in the press box. Niku has played just 18 games since the start of December, despite being healthy throughout. As he doesn’t seem to be favoured to bump any left-handed shots out of the Jets lineup, he can get minutes and continue his growth in the AHL, while Poolman gets some time with the big club (he gets paid the same either way, but whatevs).
Poolman extends his point streak to four game (1G, 4A) with this #UNTAMED blast #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/aFW9TD3Ofv
— Manitoba Moose (@ManitobaMoose) February 10, 2019
For those interested, this is how Joe Morrow got hurt:
