The Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks finalized a trade involving four players on Tuesday, the teams announced. The Penguins acquired defenseman Jack Rathbone and forward Karel Plasek from the Canucks in exchange for defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Ty Glover.
“I would like to thank Jack for all the time he spent with our organization and always pushing hard when competing for a spot,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said, via the team website. “It has been a tough couple of years for him and this will give him a fresh start. The two players coming back in this trade will add to our depth as we continue to look at ways to improve our organization.”
Rathbone has five points in 28 career NHL games, all with the Canucks. He appeared in 11 games last season, tallying two points and a -1 rating. He did not make the Canucks roster out of training camp and will report to the Penguins‘ AHL affiliate upon arrival.
Plasek, a sixth-round pick in 2019, has yet to play professionally in America. He could be in line to play for Pittsburgh's AHL team.
As for the Canucks, they get an experienced NHLer in Mark Friedman and a minor-league prospect in Ty Glover from the Penguins. Friedman has 65 NHL games under his belt and will provide defensive depth for the Canucks.
Vancouver started their season with an 8-1 shellacking over the Edmonton Oilers, then followed it up with a gutsy 4-3 win over the same Oilers to start the season at 2-0. The Penguins are 2-1 having won two straight after losing their opener. They've outscored opponents 9-2 in those two wins.
