Canucks send Jack Rathbone and Vasily Podkolzin down to Abbotsford

The Vancouver Canucks will have a much different line-up to start the week.

The team took to Twitter on late Monday afternoon, announcing that forward Vasily Podkolzin and defenceman Jack Rathbone have been reassigned to the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL. Neither player will require waivers.

Despite a decently successful rookie season with the Canucks last year, where he scored 14 goals and 12 assists in 79 games, Podkolzin has struggled out of the gate to kick off the 2022-23 campaign

The Russian sophomore has only notched three points in 16 games, and is still searching for his first goal of the season.

Podkolzin did miss three games due to injury after he dropped the mitts with A.J. Greer back in mid-November but still didn’t look the same upon return, only earning 12 shifts in just under 10 minutes of ice time during Saturday’s 5-1 win against Vegas.

Points aside, Podkolzin has also had difficulty sustaining chemistry with any of his linemates, as indicated in his constant movement up and down the line-up.

It’s been more of an uphill battle for Rathbone who, unlike his teammate, hasn’t been given much opportunity to solidify himself in the roster.

So far, Rathbone has only played six games for the Canucks, logging one assists, seven shots and a minus three rating during that span.

The 23-year-old didn’t necessarily look out of place on the blueline, averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time in those six contests, including quality time quarterbacking the second powerplay unit.

Unfortunately for Rathbone, the Boston native is currently fourth in line on the left side of the blueline behind Quinn Hughes, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Riley Stillman and Kyle Burroughs, with the last two forcing Rathbone onto the sidelines for a good chunk of the year.

As of Monday night, the Canucks have played 22 games, meaning that Rathbone has been scratched for 18 of them.

Even though Podkolzin and Rathbone would much prefer suiting up in the big leagues, there’s still no doubt that their time in the AHL will aid in their overall on-ice development.

Rathbone was over a point-per-game player in the AHL last year, notching 40 points in 39 games with Abbotsford, while Podkolzin should naturally slot into the team’s top-six forward group, adding some offensive power alongside players like Linus Karlsson and Lane Pederson.

Rathbone and Podkolzin will also get ample opportunity to log heavy minutes with their new club, as Abbotsford will be in action four of the next six nights. All games will be at the Abbotsford Centre.

Meanwhile, the Canucks will look to extend their winning streak to four games on Tuesday, facing off against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals to kick off a four-game homestand. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm PST.

What are your thoughts on the Podkolzin and Rathbone move? Let us know in the comments!