Penguins’ trade lands defenseman Jack Rathbone and forward Karel Plasek from Canucks
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The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman Jack Rathbone and forward Karel Plasek from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Ty Glover on Tuesday.
Rathbone, 24, was a fourth-round selection (No. 95 overall) of the Canucks in 2017 and has spent the past four seasons with that organization, bouncing between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) roster.
A native of West Roxbury, Mass., Rathbone has appeared in two AHL games this season with the Abbotsford Canucks and posted one assist.
The left-handed shot has played in 28 career NHL games and has scored five points (two goals, three assists) while averaging 14:28 of ice time per contest.
At the junior level, Rathbone was briefly a member of the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Youngstown Phantoms, appearing in four games and recording one assist for that team in 2016-17.
Rathbone (5-foot-10, 177 pounds) is in the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $850,000 and is eligible for arbitration in the 2024 offseason. He has been assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Canucks waived Rathbone on Oct. 1 and he cleared one day later.
Plasek, 23, was a sixth-round selection (No. 175 overall) of the Canucks in 2019 and is in the final year of a three-year entry-level contract that carries a salary cap hit of $846,667.
The left-handed Plasek (5-foot-11, 154 pounds) has yet to play in any games this season at any level. He has been assigned to the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.
Last season, the Prerov, Czechia native was loaned to HC Olomouc of the Czech Extraliga and appeared in 31 games, posting 15 points (six goals, nine assists). To date, his only professional experience in North America came in the form of eight games and no points with Abbotsford in 2021-22.
Friedman and Glover were each acquired by former general manager Ron Hextall.
The Penguins initially brought in Friedman in February of 2021, claiming him off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. In parts of three seasons with the Penguins, Friedman appeared in 54 NHL games and scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists), recorded 43 penalty minutes and averaged 13:34 of ice time per contest.
Friedman, 27, opened this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, appearing in two games with no points.
A right-handed shot who can play both sides of a defensive pairing, Friedman (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) is in the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000.
Glover, 23, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in March of 2022. In the second year of a three-year entry-level contract, Glover was assigned to Wheeling on Oct. 10 and had yet to play a game at any level this season.
In 2022-23, the left-handed Glover (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) played in 49 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scored 12 points (seven goals, five assists).