It only took one week of the NHL regular season for the Pittsburgh Penguins to shake up their organizational roster. In a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, the Penguins sent out defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Ty Glover in exchange for defender Jack Rathbone and forward Karel Plasek.
In an even swap of players, the trade appears unexciting at first glance. However, the Pens received an extremely talented player in Rathbone, who may surprise with what he can do.
Rathbone is the second defender the Penguins have acquired since the start of October. At 24-years-old, he’s just one year older than the Penguins other recent pick up in waiver claim John Ludvig. Along with Ludvig, the addition of Rathbone injects further youth and skill into a retooled defensive corps.
What stands out most about the Rathbone's game is his quick thinking and even quicker skating abilities. Because of the Harvard grad's skillset, he’s a defender who can make precise passes and frequently join the rush.
Rathbone's biggest weakness is his physical defensive play. Generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds, Rathbone is a smaller player and can struggle against the league’s bigger competition. He is best suited as a third pairing and second power play defender, where he can generate offense and contribute to the breakout in a more sheltered role.
Entering the final year of his current contract, there's no doubting that Rathbone is looking to finally graduate from the AHL. He only has 28 NHL games under his belt, with 11 of those coming this past season. In those 11 games, he put up a goal and an assist while playing less than 15 minutes per game. Having been stuck in a logjam of similarly undersized left handed defenders in Vancouver, it was clear that the Canucks had no future plans for the talented defender.
In Pittsburgh, however, he may get that opportunity sooner rather than later. The Pens left side is solid, with Ryan Graves, Marcus Pettersson, PO Joseph, and John Ludvig all holding roster spots ahead of him. If injuries pop up, as they tend to do for the Penguins, they will need a mobile and offensively inclined defenseman to step up.
That’s exactly when Rathbone will come through, and he could surprise with how effective he is when given the opportunity.
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