The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that the team has acquired defenseman Jack Rathbone and forward prospect Karel Plasek from the Vancouver Canucks.

In exchange, Pittsburgh has sent defenseman Mark Friedman and forward prospect Ty Glover.

Rathbone is signed through the rest of the season on a one way deal paying him $850K. The 24 year old will be an RFA at the end of the year. Per the Pens, he will report to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.

Plasek is also signed through the rest of just this season. At 23 years old, he will also be an RFA at the end of the season, however, per CapFriendly, since he has not yet obtained the amount of professional seasons, he would be a 10.2(c) RFA. Per the team, he will report to Pittsburgh’s ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.

Rathbone played 11 games for the Vancouver Canucks last season, and has been a member of the organization since they drafted him in the fourth round back in 2017, 95th overall. He’s played sparingly for the Canucks over the past three seasons, but has never played more than 11 games in a season at the NHL level.

Last season, Rathbone also played in 37 AHL contests for the Abbotsford Canucks, where he registered 14 points and was a +12. He also appeared in 6 playoff games for them, where he averaged half a point per game.

Praised for his instincts, Rathbone was once hailed as a huge defensive prospect for the Canucks organization. Now, he’s a candidate for a player who could blossom with a change of scenery.

He’s a puck-moving defenseman who can create chances, but tends to struggle in his own zone. Think of him as an extremely lite version of Erik Karlsson in terms of playing style.

However, with this new change, he will need to stand out if he wants to make an NHL impression this year. Rathbone currently slots in at ninth on the depth chart behind six starting NHL defensemen, as well as scratches Ryan Shea and John Ludvig, the only two extra players the Pens are currently carrying.

That, not to mention that Ty Smith still has NHL aspirations, will make for an interesting challenge for Rathbone.

Karel Plasek spent last season in the Czech league, playing 31 games for HC Olomouc, scoring 6 goals and 9 assists. In 7 playoff games, he scored a goal and added 4 helpers.

Plasek is extremely inexperienced on North American ice; the former sixth round pick from 2019 has a mere 8 games under his belt in North America, all for Abbotsford during the 2021-22 season. He had 0 points in those games.

With so little experience at this age, the odds of Plasek making the NHL are quite long, but he’ll start that journey with Pittsburgh’s ECHL affiliate.

As for the Canucks, they receive the gritty, reliable depth defenseman in Mark Friedman, and a Plasek-type player in Ty Glover, albeit more experienced.

Glover played his first pro season in the AHL last season for the WBS Pens. He brought some size to the lineup at 6′ 3, but he struggled to produce offensively, totaling 12 points in 49 games.

Mark Friedman split last season between the NHL and AHL, appearing in 23 for the former and 24 for the latter. He’s a good depth defenseman who is never afraid to mix things up on the ice.

He’s physical and gritty, and if deployed correctly can be a good third-pairing option for an NHL team, but found himself low on the depth chart here in Pittsburgh.

(Featured photo of Jack Rathbone by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)