Rathje has always been blamed for being to gentle, not being physical enough. Why shouldn't people blame him for that? Because he is one of the biggest players on the team and he lets players push him around. But a few years ago he was paired with Marcus Ragnarsson and have formed one of the best defensive pairings for the Sharks in a long time. He has improved his game so he almost is never out of position defensively. Now he usually plays against the opposing team's top line.