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Vitali Kravtsov

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.

Morning Notes: Draft Prospects, Pokka, Kravtsov

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More than 70 percent of PHR voters believe that Shane Wright is still the top choice for the Montreal Canadiens at the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft, and if you asked Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, he’d agree. Wheeler has Wright in the No. 1 spot on his updated top-100, though does note that he is no longer in a tier above the rest of the field.

Interestingly enough, Juraj Slafkovsky, who overtook Wright on Corey Pronman’s recent list, is much further down Wheeler’s. The big winger isn’t even the top-ranked player from Slovakia, as the prospect prognosticator continues to rank Simon Nemec higher than most of the other publicly available lists. As always, the entire list is worth a read, given how detailed Wheeler dives into some of the lower-ranked names.

  • Highly-ranked prospects don’t always work out though, something the Chicago Blackhawks found our first hand with Ville Pokka, the 34th overall pick in 2012 and a big part of the return for Nick Leddy two years later. Pokka, despite strong offensive numbers in the AHL, never could put together his defensive game well enough to earn an NHL opportunity, and the defenseman left for the KHL in 2018. After four years in Russia, he’s headed to Sweden, where he’ll join Farjestad next season.
  • 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.

Snapshots: Kravtsov, Wallmark, Celebrini

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The New York Rangers are primed for a legitimate Stanley Cup run, but it appears as though their malcontent prospect will not be joining them. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that instead of joining the Rangers for the playoff run, Vitali Kravtsov will begin his offseason training regimen in Russia, with the plan of arriving in New York well ahead of training camp.

Kravtsov, who requested a trade and basically forced his way back to the KHL for this entire season rather than play in the minor leagues, was eliminated from the KHL playoffs this week when Traktor Chelyabinsk fell to Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The 22-year-old forward is a restricted free agent this summer and would need a new contract if he’s to play in New York next season.

  • Earlier this month, both Lucas Wallmark and Joakim Nordstrom terminated their contracts in the KHL because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their agent, Claes Elefalk, told SVT Sport that the two left “substantial amounts” on the table by terminating contracts that would have originally kept them in Russia until May 2023. The pair of Swedes are obviously well known to NHL fans, who watched Wallmark play nearly 200 games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks, and Nordstrom play nearly 500 with the Blackhawks, Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, and Calgary Flames, before leaving for the KHL last summer. Both are now unrestricted free agents.
  • Though he was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Macklin Celebrini ended up being drafted first overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the most recent WHL U.S. Prospect Draft, after playing parts of two seasons at the powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary’s prep academy in Minnesota. Celebrini put up incredible numbers this year for the program, scoring 50 goals and 117 points in just 52 games. Unfortunately for the Thunderbirds, it appears as though that pick was wasted (at least for now). Celebrini–a top prospect for the 2024 draft–has signed a tender agreement with the Chicago Steel of the USHL for the 2022-23 season. He will take the place of Chicago’s first-round pick in next month’s USHL draft, and will continue his development at another powerhouse program with the Steel.

Senators And Canadiens Have Shown Interest In Vitali Kravtsov

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Back when Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov refused his assignment to AHL Hartford and was given permission to seek a trade, it was reported that several teams had shown interest in the 21-year-old.  According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Senators and Canadiens were the two teams with the most interest in acquiring the 2018 first-rounder.

Kravtsov came to North America last season after a good showing with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL where he potted 16 goals in 49 games.  However, that production didn’t carry over to New York as he had just two goals and two assists in 20 contests with the Rangers.  He had a goal in three preseason contests this year but it wasn’t enough to make the team as he was sent down.  It was only last week that Kravtsov was officially loaned back to Chelyabinsk to get some playing time and he made an immediate impact, scoring twice while adding an assist in his first game back.

Ottawa has been known to be seeking forward help going back to the start of the season and as a team that’s only now just trying to start to emerge from their rebuild, Kravtsov is the type of player that they would want to add to their existing young core.  As for Montreal, their depth is limited when it comes to left-shot wingers so there would be a spot in the bottom six for him to try and fill.

Of course, given his draft pedigree, New York placed a high price tag on Kravtsov’s services, one that clearly no one has met yet.  The fact that he’s now playing again can only help his value over sitting at home and a good showing back in the KHL could be enough for teams to up the ante on their offer.  Based on Seravalli’s report, the Senators and Canadiens will be among the teams keeping a close eye on how Kravtsov does in the weeks to come.

Vitali Kravtsov Loaned To KHL

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The New York Rangers have officially loaned Vitali Kravtsov to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL, allowing him to spend the rest of their season playing in Russia. Kravtsov had requested a trade earlier this season, failed to report to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack and subsequently been suspended by the team. In the release, Rangers GM Chris Drury explained the situation:

After discussions with Vitali and his representation, we decided a loan to Traktor was in the best interests of both him and the organization. We think very highly of Vitali and the Rangers development staff will continue to work with him to reach our mutual goal of him some day being a New York Ranger.

Kravtsov released his own statement, which certainly strikes a different tone than many of the reports earlier this year:

I want to thank the Rangers for working with me, and appreciate the open and honest conversations we have had during this process. While this has been a challenging time for me personally, I believe having the opportunity to return to Traktor and work on my game is the best thing for me right now. My main focus is getting better every day to continue towards my goal of playing hockey for the New York Rangers. 

The 2018 ninth-overall pick has never seemed thrilled about the idea of playing in the AHL and to this point has just 39 games for the Wolf Pack, all of them coming in 2019-20. He’s actually spent more time with Traktor than the Rangers organization, even since signing his entry-level deal in 2019. That contract is set to expire at the end of this season, which would potentially allow him to sign a new deal in the KHL, though the Rangers would maintain his exclusive NHL rights through his 27th birthday.

The Rangers were reported to have several trade talks earlier this season but were asking a high price for the young forward. This release suggests that both are willing to try to overcome their differences down the road, but it also could be as simple as the Rangers not wanting to have an asset’s development thrown off track before they can move him for equal value.

New York Rangers Recall Morgan Barron

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A simple recall of a forward is not usually important news, but for the New York Rangers today, it could reveal more about a different top prospect. The team has recalled Morgan Barron from the Hartford Wolf Pack, moving Kaapo Kakko to injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

Baron’s recall is not really surprising. The 22-year-old has come a long way since being a sixth-round pick in 2017 and was already on the fringe of making the roster out of camp. The 6’4″ forward played five games for the Rangers last season, scoring his first NHL goal. He has two goals in his first two AHL games of this season, continuing to show that he can be a dominant force at that level.

It’s the fact that the spot didn’t go to Vitali Kravtsov that is the headline here, as the disgruntled forward remains in limbo. Refusing an assignment to the AHL, Kravtsov and his representatives have been given permission to seek a trade. Last night on Hockey Night In Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman updated the situation:

I understand the Rangers have asked him ’would you like to go to AHL Hartford and work your way back up?’ Kaapo Kakko got hurt tonight. At this point in time he hasn’t agreed, I don’t know if he will, but the offer is out there for him to return. 

Russ Cohen of Sportsology reports that Kravtsov is back in Chelyabinsk and was at the Traktor-Dynamo game today. Cohen adds that he’s been told there are five NHL teams interested.

Meanwhile, Kakko will miss at least seven days after being placed on injured reserve, but no definite timeline has been released for his potential return. Head coach Gerard Gallant called him “day-to-day” after the game, but there has been no update other than the IR placement since.

Snapshots: McAvoy, Kravtsov, Comeau

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Boston Bruins president Cam Neely set off a wave of excitement among fans today when he told reporters including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that the team hopes to “see something here in short order” regarding a Charlie McAvoy contract extension, but don’t assume the deal is done just yet. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that talks are ongoing but there is work to be done, and general manager Don Sweeney clarified by saying nothing is imminent.

If the Bruins do extend McAvoy in the coming months, you can bet the six-year, $57.5MM deal that Zach Werenski signed earlier this offseason will have been used as a comparable. The two took very similar paths to the league, playing two years of college hockey before jumping directly into the NHL, have registered points at a similar rate, and even signed almost identical three-year bridge deals ($15MM for Werenski, $14.7MM for McAvoy). Werenski is currently set to carry the third-highest cap hit among defensemen–$9.58MM–for the 2022-23 season when his extension kicks in.

  • Vitali Kravtsov and his representatives were given permission to seek a trade after he was sent to the AHL again, but it’s not like the New York Rangers are just going to give him away for free. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that while Kravtsov is willing to play in the AHL for another organization, the Rangers are expecting “the potential of a top-six talent” in return for the young forward. Now 21, Kravtsov was the ninth overall pick in 2018 and has four points in 20 career NHL games.
  • The Dallas Stars have placed Blake Comeau on injured reserve retroactive to October 7, according to Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News. The 35-year-old scored just four goals and 14 points in 51 games last season but was still likely to have a spot on the Stars opening night roster if healthy, as a bottom-six defensive option. The team will have to fill that spot and the one belonging to Jason Robertson, who also isn’t currently traveling with the team as they visit the New York Rangers tomorrow night. Both Comeau and Robertson could join the group later on the road trip according to DeFranks. The Stars aren’t set to play their first home game until October 22, the fifth game of the season.

Vitali Kravtsov Given Permission To Seek Trade

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One of the surprises among yesterday’s opening day roster submissions was in New York, where the Rangers decided to send Vitali Kravtsov back to the minor leagues. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team has given Kravtsov’s camp permission to seek a trade. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Kravtsov has refused the assignment to the AHL and will likely be suspended by the team.

The 21-year-old Kravtsov was the ninth overall pick just three years ago, but has had an up-and-down relationship with the Rangers ever since. After playing a handful of games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL at the start of the 2019-20 season, Kravtsov exercised his European Assignment Clause to return to the KHL. He’d been benched and even made a healthy scratch in the minor leagues, so he returned home to continue his development with a team he expected to play a lot for. That didn’t work out as planned, however, and Kravtsov was back in North America, playing for the Wolf Pack before the season was through.

Last season, with the KHL starting earlier than the professional leagues in North America, Kravtsov once again suited up for Traktor and showed he had reached a new level of consistency. The Rangers left him there through the end of the KHL campaign, and then added him to the NHL roster where he played in his first 20 games. He had just two goals and four points in those contests, but things seemed to be back on the right track.

Notably, Kravtsov changed agents a few months ago and is now represented by Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. In the final year of his entry-level contract, he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. After seeing Julien Gauthier and Dryden Hunt make the roster over him, it’s clear that Kravtsov’s time in New York may be coming to an end.

Injury Updates: Backstrom, Kravtsov, Boeser, Senators

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While Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom doesn’t want to rule out the possibility that he’s available for Washington’s season opener, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports that all signs point to the veteran not being available when the regular season gets underway.  Backstrom is dealing with a hip injury, the same side that he had surgery on in 2015 and is hopeful to start skating soon.  The Caps don’t have the cap space to carry a full 23-man roster so this could put them in a bit of a tight squeeze to start the season.  It could, however, create an opening for youngster Connor McMichael to break camp in a top-six role, at least in the short term.  Backstrom would need to miss three weeks and ten games to be eligible for LTIR relief.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov left Friday’s game after the first period due to a lower-body injury but it’s not believed to be a serious one, head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters including Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Kravtsov had four points in 20 games last season after coming over from the KHL and is expected to have a regular role in their lineup in 2021-22.
  • Canucks winger Brock Boeser will miss at least a week due to an undisclosed injury, relays Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday but hasn’t skated since.  With still more than a week left until the start of the regular season, Boeser should be ready to go on opening night as long as there aren’t any setbacks along the way.
  • Senators defenseman Victor Mete suffered a minor injury in Friday’s victory over Montreal and while he was supposed to play tonight as well, that won’t be the case, notes Ian Mendes of The Athletic (Twitter link). There’s no word regarding the nature of the injury.  Meanwhile, Mendes adds in a separate tweet that prospect Parker Kelly is undergoing further evaluation for an upper-body injury that he suffered last night and that they’re hoping for more information on how long he might be out for on Sunday.

East Notes: Laine, Dahlin, Ullmark, Kravtsov

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Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine has received his $7.5MM qualifying offer from the team and is giving strong consideration to simply accepting it, suggests Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch.  The 23-year-old disappointed after being acquired from Winnipeg, notching just 21 points in 45 games.  While he’s eligible for salary arbitration, Laine would be hard-pressed to land considerably more than that in a hearing even factoring in his previous success with the Jets.  If Laine does indeed accept the offer, he will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights again next summer and will be owed a $7.5MM qualifier once again.  Notably, he’d also be a year away from unrestricted free agency at that time.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Sabres have started contract discussions with pending RFA defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The number one pick in 2018 took a considerable step back offensively in 2020-21, notching just 23 points in 56 games after putting up 40 in 59 contests in his sophomore season.  As a result, it seems unlikely that Dahlin and Buffalo will be able to work out a long-term agreement that satisfies both sides so instead, a shorter-term pact that leaves the blueliner as a restricted free agent at the end of it is a more realistic outcome.
  • Still with Buffalo, the Sabres are continuing discussions with goaltender Linus Ullmark who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, relays John Vogl of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 27-year-old was one of three pending UFAs protected from Seattle in expansion but that was more of a case of Buffalo not having another one worth protecting than a sign that talks were progressing.  They opted not to trade him back at the trade deadline in the hopes that they’d be able to Ullmark under contract and they now have less than a week to do so before the free agent market opens up.
  • Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov has changed agents, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). He’s now represented by Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein, an agent that represents several Russian-born players.  Kravtsov is eligible to sign a contract extension this summer and will be a restricted free agent next summer.

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