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New York Rangers Extend Vitali Kravtsov

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With the New York Rangers’ season now over, the team has gotten to work quickly on its business for the offseason. This morning, their first move was revealed. Dan Milstein’s Gold Star Hockey announced today that winger Vitali Kravtsov signed a one-year, one-way contract extension with the New York Rangers. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the one-year deal carries an $875k cap hit, which is a decrease from the $925k cap hit he carried on his entry-level deal as a top-ten pick. CapFriendly notes that Kravtsov’s qualifying offer would have been $874,125, meaning this contract is an ever-so-slight raise on that figure.

Kravtsov returns to North America after a reasonably successful, albeit limited stint in the KHL. Between the regular season and the playoffs, Kravtsov got into 34 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk, netting 13 goals and 23 points. Kravtsov originally left for the KHL at the start of this season after failing to make the Rangers’ team out of training camp, and his reportedly strained relationship with Rangers GM Chris Drury was thought to be a factor in creating his steadfast resistance towards continuing his development with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. While that resistance to taking the developmental path the organization likely preferred for him has made him a bit of a controversial prospect, Kravtsov’s potential is undeniable. The six-foot-two, 187-pound winger boasts a rare combination of size and skill and is coming off of a productive season in the KHL. Kravtsov was originally drafted ninth overall at the 2018 draft, and he is likely hoping that it’s on this one-year contract that he establishes himself as an NHL regular similar to how fellow 2018 first-rounder K’Andre Miller has established himself over the past two seasons in New York.

Given the relatively uncertain state of the Rangers’ right wingers going into next season, Kravtsov could have a strong opportunity to earn an NHL job and hold onto it. The Rangers are not overflowing with cap space and both of the players who play right wing on the team’s top two lines (Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp) are pending unrestricted free agents. Since it’s unlikely that the Rangers will be able to hold onto all of their pending free agents, Kravtsov’s $875k cap hit could end up working to his advantage in the fall as he fights for a role on the team.

It remains to be seen what Kravtsov ultimately becomes at the NHL level, but today’s extension confirms that he is going to enter next season with the firm intention of finally cementing himself as an NHL regular.

Sammy Blais Won't Play Tonight

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  • While Rangers forward Sammy Blais has resumed skating, Newsday’s Colin Stephenson relays that he will not be available for the sixth game of their series tonight in Tampa Bay. The 25-year-old tore his ACL back in November and would be a welcome addition to New York’s bottom six but he hasn’t received the green light to return just yet.  The 25-year-old had four assists and 37 hits in 14 regular season contests.

NHL Announces Stanley Cup Final Schedule Scenarios

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With time winding down on the Eastern Conference Final and the Colorado Avalanche already punching their ticket through, the NHL is beginning to prepare for the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Today, the league announced the schedule scenarios for the penultimate series, which is dependent on whether the Eastern Conference Final goes to six or seven games.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning, who hold a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final, win Game 6 and advance tomorrow night, the Cup Final will commence on Wednesday, June 15th. If the New York Rangers force a Game 7, the series will begin Saturday, June 18. In either scenario, every Stanley Cup Final game will begin at 7:00 p.m. CT.

The Colorado Avalanche, who missed out on the Presidents’ Trophy this season by just three points, hold the home-ice advantage in both scenarios. The last possible day for the 2021-22 NHL season is Thursday, June 30, which is when Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final would occur if the Eastern Conference Final stretches to seven games.

The games are spaced evenly, and played every other day, aside from Games 1 and 2 of the six-game Eastern Conference Final scenario, where Tampa Bay and Colorado would play Game 1 on June 15 and wait until June 18 to play Game 2. In the United States, the 2022 Stanley Cup Final will be broadcast on ABC for the first time in 18 years.

Ryan Strome Expected To Play Game Four

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  • Ryan Strome will be back in the New York Rangers lineup tomorrow night according to head coach Gerard Gallant, who told reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com that “he should be fine to go.” Strome left yesterday’s game partway through the second period and finished with just over seven minutes of ice time in the loss. The Rangers are looking to take a stranglehold in the series before they head back home for game five and Strome has been a big part of their success so far. The pending free agent center is averaging nearly 19 minutes a night and has eight points through 17 games.

Vitali Kravtsov Turns Down Offer In KHL; Eyes NHL Return

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  • Vitali Kravtsov, another prospect that hasn’t quite panned out just yet, has apparently turned down an offer from the KHL as he eyes a return to North America. The 22-year-old winger is a pending restricted free agent but will still be under control of the New York Rangers, should they issue him a qualifying offer. In his partial season with Traktor this year, Kravtsov proved he can play to a high level in the KHL, scoring 13 goals and 23 points in a combined 34 games.

Ryan Strome Exits Game Three Of Eastern Conference Final With Injury

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  • New York Rangers forward Ryan Strome left today’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an apparent injury. Strome took a hit from Tampa’s Ondrej Palat in the second period and immediately appeared to be in distress, heading straight down the tunnel. The Rangers forward was absent for several minutes before returning to take one shift, but indicated to trainers that he could not continue, heading back to the locker room shortly thereafter. In Strome, the Rangers lose a key top-six forward and member of their powerplay; after a 54-point regular season, Strome has added another nine points in 16 playoff games heading into today’s action. Time will tell how significant Strome’s injury is, and though he is yet to be ruled out for the remainder of this game, his initial return only to quickly exit again is not a good sign for the Rangers.

Injury Notes: Price, Point, Kuemper

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After playing only five games this season, Carey Price is preparing to get back on the ice with the Montreal Canadiens, as he said today. However, his status is still unknown. The 34-year-old had a Platelet-Rich Plasma injection in his knee and is waiting for it to take hold before he gets back to training and preparing. The netminder said that “I wish I felt better about the situation, but I don’t.”

Price had knee surgery in the 2021 offseason and the injury got reaggravated this season after he returned from personal leave to participate in the NHLPA Player Assistance program. In April, he had a meeting with his surgeon in Manhattan and is now under treatment. Being without their number one goaltender for the next season is a reason for concern for the Montreal Canadiens. If he doesn’t recover in time, they will have to make a plan and go after a goaltender this offseason with Price on LTIR.

  • Tampa Bay fans can celebrate, albeit hesitantly. Forward Brayden Point was doing drills in practice for the first time since his injury in Game 7 in Toronto, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. He participated for 55 minutes, doing drills with the taxi squad. While this is not an indicator that he could be back for Game 3, it’s still good news for the team. It can be a needed boost for the current Stanley Cup champions in the series against the Rangers if he’s able to get back.
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that Darcy Kuemper’s injury doesn’t seem too serious, but that backup netminder Pavel Francouz will likely start Game 3 in any event. Francouz is coming off a 24-save shutout in Game 2 that sparked the Avs to a 2-0 series lead.

East Notes: DeAngelo, Helm, Othmann

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With the departure of Dougie Hamilton in the offseason, many questioned how the Carolina Hurricanes would rebuild their defense. Controversially, they signed Tony DeAngelo to a one-year deal after he was bought out by the New York Rangers. The signing hit about as well as the team could’ve hoped, with off-ice distractions mostly limited. Now a restricted free agent, the team has exclusive rights to keep him around.

Both the team and player want to keep the relationship going, though. DeAngelo notes a feeling of acceptance from the team. It will undoubtedly be a large increase over his $1MM cap hit, however, but that’s something they can try and work out with almost $20MM in cap space. The team has a lot of free agents, though, and they’ll need to be picky about how they allocate their money. He performed with 51 points in 64 games.

  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel took a look at potential cheap, veteran replacements to fill the hole Jason Spezza left on the ice with his retirement. First on his list is pending UFA forward Darren Helm, who most notably recently knocked the St. Louis Blues out of the playoffs with just seconds left in regulation. As Helm, a member of the Colorado Avalanche, could be phased out of the organization this offseason with younger players fighting for roles, the Leafs could provide a home for him on the open market. The Stanley Cup-winning veteran had 15 points in 68 games this season.
  • Larry Brooks of The New York Post reports that, even if his OHL Flint Firebirds are eliminated tonight, top New York Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann won’t sign his entry-level contract and join the Rangers for the remainder of their playoff run. Othmann, who the Rangers selected 16th overall in 2021, had a fantastic year with 50 goals and 97 points in 66 OHL games this season. He’s added 24 points in 19 playoff games as well. However, it seems as though the team is content to either leave him in juniors for another season or wait to sign him until the offseason.

Rangers Will Give First-Round Pick For Andrew Copp

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With the New York Rangers advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Winnipeg Jets are getting an improved draft pick. As CapFriendly reports, the conditional second-round pick from the Andrew Copp trade will upgrade to a 2022 first-round pick now that the Rangers have won a pair of playoff rounds. It also required Copp to play in at least 50 percent of those matches, and he has, suiting up for all 14 games so far.

While it’s never a great feeling to give up a first-round selection, the Rangers certainly aren’t complaining, given the success the team and Copp individually are experiencing. The pending free agent forward has 12 points in the postseason so far, including two in each of the deciding game sevens so far. The first 28 picks in this year’s draft are now set.

Latest On Andrew Copp

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Last night, the New York Rangers won a crucial game against the Carolina Hurricanes, keeping their season alive. Andrew Copp, who the Rangers acquired from the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline, has been a major reason for the team’s success in these playoffs. Given his status as a pending unrestricted free agent, it’s natural to believe that Copp has earned himself some money on his next deal with how he’s performed in New York. On the 32 Thoughts segment of last night’s Sportsnet broadcast of the Rangers/Hurricanes game, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek supported that line of thinking, reporting that it “sounds as if” Copp’s market is going to land between the deals signed by two recent comparable unrestricted free agents: Phillip Danault and Zach Hyman.

Danault signed his contract after leading the way on a Canadiens team that to the 2021 Stanley Cup final, inking a six-year, $33MM deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Hyman signed a seven-year, $38.5MM deal with the Oilers after a season where he scored at a 63-point pace. While Copp’s defensive game may not be quite at the level of Danault’s (who is a consistent down-ballot Selke candidate) and his offense may be slightly below where Hyman’s was in his platform year, Copp has proven to be an incredible fit with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome and is now producing better than he ever has as a professional.

As a Ranger, including the playoffs, Copp has 28 points in 29 games, showing that in the right fit, he can be a very strong offensive producer to go along with his defensive game. The Rangers also have Strome as a pending unrestricted free agent and could find themselves forced to choose only one of the two to retain after this season, given the constraints of the salary cap. Strome may have a longer and more proven track record of chemistry with Panarin than Copp does, but Copp has outproduced him in these playoffs and offers more versatility, as well as a more well-regarded defensive game. The Rangers’ attempts to retain both or their choice between the two will be one of the Rangers’ top storylines this offseason, and recent reporting indicates that they will be aggressive in their pursuit of Copp.

Copp’s performance also still holds significance for his former team. As part of their trade with the Rangers, the second-round pick the Jets received for Copp was actually conditional, and is upgraded from a 2022 second-rounder to a 2022 first-rounder if the Rangers make it to the Eastern Conference Final (to be decided Monday) and Copp plays in at least 50% of the team’s playoff games. So while two fanbases will see their teams battle to remain alive in the chase for the Stanley Cup, there will be a third fanbase also likely to be deeply invested in the fate of Monday’s high-stakes seventh game.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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