Sabres Waive Jack Rathbone

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jack Rathbone is back to full health after beginning the season on the non-roster injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Rathbone has been activated and placed on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He is likely headed for assignment to the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

The 27 year old defenseman has spent the last two seasons on the Rochester lineup. He stands out as a two-way option capable of filling a top four role. That fit has earned Rathbone a combined 41 points, 77 penalty minutes, and a minus-11 in 112 games with the Americans. He should have no trouble clearing waivers and returning to that support role in Rochester’s lineup.

Rathbone was once a promising prospect for the Vancouver Canucks. Originally a 2017 fourth-round pick, he turned pro in the 2020-21 season and quickly earned a call-up after scoring nine points in the first eight games of his AHL career. Rathbone debuted with three points in eight games for Vancouver before the end of the season, then broke camp with Vancouver for the 2021-22 season. He went nine games without any scoring and was returned to the minors by late-November. The performance was a dip for Rathbone, though he went on to score 40 points in 39 AHL games through the end of the year.

The Canucks gave Rathbone another chance to open the year in the NHL during the 2022-23 season. He scored one assist in six games to open the year, before again being returned to the minor leagues. Rathbone, again, returned to production in Abbotsford and earned another call-up before the end of the season. But another quiet NHL stint earned him a stint in the minors that’s lasted ever since.

Rathbone has gone through tenures with Abbotsford, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Rochester – totaling 92 points in 265 AHL games through seven seasons. He will now face the challenge of working back to his former production, while coming off of injury, as he hopes to join a Rochester club currently ranked third in the North Division.