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Former Vancouver Canucks top prospect suddenly waived by Atlantic club

This former Vancouver Canucks prospect has been placed on waivers by the Buffalo Sabres.
ByMichael DeRosa
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Oct 1, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Jack Rathbone (3) skates with the puck against the Seattle Kraken during the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Jack Rathbone (3) skates with the puck against the Seattle Kraken during the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

A former Vancouver Canucks defenseman is now available for the taking on the waiver wire.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Buffalo Sabres have placed former Canucks defenseman Jack Rathbone on waivers.

Rathbone has been sidelined all season due to injury. Yet, with this waiver placement, the former Canucks defenseman is now set to return to game action.

Teams looking for more defensive depth could consider taking a gamble on Rathbone with a waiver claim. However, if he passes through waivers unclaimed, the Sabres will then be able to assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Taking a look back at Rathbone's tenure with the Canucks

Rathbone was selected by the Canucks in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, 95th overall.

Rathbone emerged as one of the Canucks' top prospects after this, as he had a very good collegiate career with Harvard University. In 61 games over two seasons with Harvard, he posted 14 goals and 53 points. This included him posting 31 points in 28 games in 2019-20.

Rathbone then played some strong hockey in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks. This was especially the case in 2021-22, as he posted 10 goals and 40 points in 39 games.

However, Rathbone was never able to translate that kind of success to the NHL level. In fact, he was never able to become a regular in the Canucks' lineup.

Rathbone appeared in just 28 NHL games with the Canucks from 2020-21 to 2022-23, where he posted two goals, five points, and a minus-5 rating.

Rathbone's time with the Canucks ended in October 2023 when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since then, he has had stops with the Penguins and Sabres organizations but has not made an NHL appearance since his time in Vancouver.

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