Canucks should start utilizing Abby advantage to get Rathbone games
Does Jack Rathbone have an NHL future?
Because the Vancouver Canucks aren’t utilizing him as such.
This is an important year for the 23-year-old defenceman, who is at a make-or-break age for a pro hockey player trying to prove himself.
The current Canucks management signed Rathbone to a two-year NHL contract extension this past summer for a reason. They see potential in the dynamic defenceman. But it’s hard to realize your potential from the press box.
Rathbone has appeared in just six games this season, averaging only 15:25 of ice time.
This comes despite the fact that the Canucks have had injuries on the back end.
Rathbone is set to sit out tonight’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, given this morning’s line rushes, shown below by Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650. It’ll be the fifth-straight game he’s been a healthy scratch.
Morning skate #Canucks lines
Garland-Horvat-Miller
Mikheyev-Pettersson-Kuzmenko
Podkolzin-Dries-Boeser
Joshua-Åman-Lazar
HöglanderOEL-Bear
Hughes-Schenn
Stillman-Myers
Rathbone-Burroughs@Sportsnet650 pic.twitter.com/m92XJoqVKj— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) November 21, 2022
Rathbone is clearly No. 8 on the depth chart right now, as far as the Canucks’ coaches are concerned, with Riley Stillman likely getting into the lineup tonight. Kyle Burroughs, despite being a right-shot defenceman, appears to be preferred over left-shooting Rathbone, even when a spot opens up on the left side. Stillman and Burroughs have appeared in 10 games each this season.
It begs the question, are the Canucks stunting Rathbone’s growth as a player?
Through the first month and a half of the season, the Canucks have utilized Rathbone like an AHL journeyman, not a prospect.
And if the Canucks’ AHL affiliate was still located in Utica, you could understand why. Rathbone hasn’t had a great start to the season, and Bruce Boudreau may not prefer an offensive-minded defenceman on his third pairing — particularly given the coach’s job is on the line. Plus, Rathbone has already proven himself at the AHL level, scoring 40 points in 39 games with Abbotsford last season.
Perhaps what he needs now is time in the NHL, even if that just involves picking up practice habits and being around his teammates in Vancouver.
But this doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing decision on Rathbone.
When the Canucks moved their AHL affiliate to Abbotsford, many advantages were supposed to come with it. If this isn’t an example of one, I don’t know what is.
Rathbone could keep skating with the NHL club, and be sent down to Abbotsford periodically, even just for games.
The Massachusetts-born blueliner is on a one-way contract, meaning he would be paid the same regardless of if he’s playing in Vancouver or Abbotsford. But he’s still exempt from waivers, so the Canucks wouldn’t risk losing him to another team.
The Abbotsford Canucks are in the middle of a six-game road trip, so now isn’t an ideal time to send him down. But Rathbone watched three straight games from the press box in Rogers Arena as a healthy scratch between November 1 and 5, while Abbotsford played a pair of home games on November 4 and 5.
Instead, he went 10 days without playing.
Abbotsford plays six home games between November 29 and December 10, which coincides with five Canucks games at Rogers Arena. That’ll be another opportunity to get Rathbone in game action, if he’s still waiting to play in Vancouver.
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