Confirmed with Link: [VAN/PIT] Mark Friedman and Ty Glover for Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek

[Zirakzigil]

It's also kinda funny that the Penguins actually have some young defensemen under contract at this point with these moves. It's far from a guarantee that any of these guys hit their NHL potential, but they have added Ludvig (23) and Rathbone (24) to a team who only had Smith (23) and POJ (24) as young defensemen.

If the organization's goal is to both build for the future and contend now, I think Dubas is making the exact kind of moves you want him to be making with that target. This team doesn't need flashy prospects and high 1st rounders to build out the young depth that the organization needs. They need guys to come up and be depth contributors, and accumulating buy-low young players is a good way to accomplish that.



Ruhwedel has been good this year so why should he be taken out?

Because.

He’s a fine 7th. Sully doesn’t play him like that though.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Also guessing Ludvig already showed enough to let Friedman go elsewhere.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Also, finally the Vancouver / Pens trade we’ve been expecting since JR took over.

Not trades but go take a look at how many former penguins we have on our roster

 

[SomeDude]

Not trades but go take a look at how many former penguins we have on our roster

My sympathies.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

My sympathies.

Listen
Lafferty has been great

 

[SomeDude]

Listen
Lafferty has been great

Well, we’ve got this guy…more of a man, a man’s man. Goes by Jeff Carter. Why don’t you take him around town, wine and dine him, and convince him to waive his NTC to play with the great Samuel Lafferty?

 

[DesertedPenguin]

With Butcher slowly making his way back, I wouldn't be surprised to see another trade in the near future. Butcher will classify as an AHL veteran and they're simply going to need room to play guys regular minutes.

 

[66-30-33]

Also guessing Ludvig already showed enough to let Friedman go elsewhere.

Naw he’s physical, we can’t have him.

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

Could he play as a 6th dman regularly?

 

[Al Smith]

Rathbone was a top prospect a couple years ago but just hasn't developed and is a Group VI UFA this summer unless you guys give him 52 NHL games.

Undersized defender with nice skating/puck skills, a wicked shot for a little guy, and PP utility. But he just absolutely sucks defensively. Is always scrambling without the puck but also doesn't handle forechecks well and plays scared so isn't the transition defender you'd expect him to be given his skill level.

He wasn't helped by signing for the same organization that had Quinn Hughes in place as a skill young LHD but the team did try to give him opportunities and he just never looked remotely like an NHL player when he was called up. And then had a big regression in the AHL last year and was badly outplayed by Christian Wolanin.

Plasek is a dead contract slot.

The Pens gave up their most entertaining player in Flyers games for this?

And I immediately thought of Basil Rathbone, British Actor and portrayer of Sherlock Holmes in many very old movies.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Ruhwedel has been good this year so why should he be taken out?

I think the more likely scenario is: what happens at RD if EK, Letang or Ruh gets injured?

For me only the reason I liked Friedman was bc he was the sole defender who had any sort of snarl to his game. If we iced a defense full of face punchers, I'd be happy he was gone, but it's the opposite issue.

We're bringing in a bunch of the same types of defenders: puck movers.
This is really the same problem we have with the top 6 F's: we've got a bunch of perimeter
cerebrel types. Which isn't a problem on its face, but the mix can be just as important as abilities

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think the more likely scenario is: what happens at RD if EK, Letang or Ruh gets injured?

For me only the reason I liked Friedman was bc he was the sole defender who had any sort of snarl to his game. If we iced a defense full of face punchers, I'd be happy he was gone, but it's the opposite issue.

We're bringing in a bunch of the same types of defenders: puck movers.
This is really the same problem we have with the top 6 F's: we've got a bunch of perimeter
cerebrel types. Which isn't a problem on its face, but the mix can be just as important as abilities

Smith gets called up if Karlsson or Letang gets hurt and Shea steps into the lineup if Ruhwedel gets hurt.

 

[SomeDude]

How did you know HFPens swings that way?

Thought we made it subtle with our shirts off playoffs avatars…

I blame Chad Ruhwedel’s phallic bald dome.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

But no for real Frieds would probably be OK for Vancouver as their #6. He plays with an edge, draws a lot of penalties and actually has a surprisingly decent skillset so he can play with a little pace and keep up in the NZ and OZ. I wouldn't say he's as good in his own end as Ruh which is why he always got the short end of that stick with Sullivan but I also don't think he'd hurt most teams as their #6.

Worse case rotate him out depending on matchups etc.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

You can't tell me Jack Rathbone isn't a defenseman from Flin Flon who started in the NHL in 1942 and smoked 2 cigarettes in the lockeroom every intermission.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I preferred Friedman to Ruhwedel because Friedman actually engages and stirs shit up in a watered down pest kinda role, but they're both garbage so it doesn't matter. If two guys are very similar in ability, the NHL coaching edict demands the zero event hockey guy gets preference over the guy who is more often caught out doing dumb shit, even if the latter is more entertaining.

 

[SEALBound]

Seems like a pretty lateral move for roster/admin purposes.

I wish it was Rudwedel instead of Freidman but oh well.

As stated, Canucks fans were pretty high on Rathbone in the past so there may be untapped talent still there.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Soft small turd from Boston. Sullivan's got a rager in his trousers.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Well, we’ve got this guy…more of a man, a man’s man. Goes by Jeff Carter. Why don’t you take him around town, wine and dine him, and convince him to waive his NTC to play with the great Samuel Lafferty?

Depends, can we revisit history and get his 2012 cup

Could he play as a 6th dman regularly?

Yes if you have zero ambition for the season
Might help the tank

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Lol you lot think Sullivan's going to give a small and soft one dimensional defenseman a shot? Maybe because he's from Boston, sure. But lol mostly.

But no for real Frieds would probably be OK for Vancouver as their #6. He plays with an edge, draws a lot of penalties and actually has a surprisingly decent skillset so he can play with a little pace and keep up in the NZ and OZ. I wouldn't say he's as good in his own end as Ruh which is why he always got the short end of that stick with Sullivan but I also don't think he'd hurt most teams as their #6.

Worse case rotate him out depending on matchups etc.

That's saying a lot about Ruhwedel that mostly is false. Ruhwedel was one that left his partner out to dry more often than not and yet keeps getting games because he's a Sully pet. Neither are great and neither should be on this roster yet here we are...Ruhwedel is still somehow f***ing here and they got a flaccid tosser in place of one that actually had some bollocks to his game in a similar role.

 

[Turin]

Could he play as a 6th dman regularly?

Probably, but its hard to say. He's not going to piss you off if you keep him on the third pairing and away from the PK.

 

[Turin]

Soooo

POJ, Ludvig, Rathbone, Shea and Smith is a silly amount of LD. Especially for WBS, idk how him and Smith can co-exist and thrive. You also have Will Butcher there who is also left handed I believe. I like the gamble since Friedman is never going to be anything but a bottom pairing/ahl tweener guy but idk how this shakes out.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Soooo

POJ, Ludvig, Rathbone, Shea and Smith is a silly amount of LD. Especially for WBS, idk how him and Smith can co-exist and thrive. You also have Will Butcher there who is also left handed I believe. I like the gamble since Friedman is never going to be anything but a bottom pairing/ahl tweener guy but idk how this shakes out.

Shea, Ludvig and Smith have all been experimenting with playing on the right side.

 

[Turin]

Shea, Ludvig and Smith have all been experimenting with playing on the right side.

If Ludvig can move over that would be very nice.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

If Ludvig can move over that would be very nice.

He's been on the right side the last few practices, so we'll see.