Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft / Pick #9 - Vitali Kravtsov (RW) - Part VI

[LORDE]

So Traktor gets caved in every ****ing game, and we have to hope and pray Kravtsov is working on his physicality, his willingness to dump a puck into the zone rather than dangle through four players, etc. Great move, here. This is really good for his development as an NHL prospect. But he's happy! He's in a good mental space! Hooray!

He could have been a key cog on a very competitive Hartford team if he had been willing to fight through some adversity. Disappointing.

Without knowing too much... maybe it's more a personal thing... some kids have issues their 1st yr in college away from home etc... I have NO info here... just stating that could be a factor also.

I agree tho... I would've much rather had him struggle in Hartford so he could be getting coached & groomed the way we need him to be. I'm resigned to just forget about him for now and maybe he matures and is ready next yr

 

[Bring Back Avery]

I wonder how much of his returning to the KHL had to do with his family, friends, and/or even his agent chirping in his ear about the money? How much of a difference in pay is he getting there vs the AHL?

 

[nyr2k2]

Without knowing too much... maybe it's more a personal thing... some kids have issues their 1st yr in college away from home etc... I have NO info here... just stating that could be a factor also.

I agree tho... I would've much rather had him struggle in Hartford so he could be getting coached & groomed the way we need him to be. I'm resigned to just forget about him for now and maybe he matures and is ready next yr

I'm sure that's part of it. Still, he's a professional athlete. He toured all over Russia and other countries playing professional hockey. He may have been in a new culture here, but you kind of expect kids to make an adjustment. It's not exactly uncommon for teenagers to leave their countries and come to North America to play hockey. I know everyone is different, but still. "Having to adjust" was surely a foreseeable requirement of coming here.

I wonder how much of his returning to the KHL had to do with his family, friends, and/or even his agent chirping in his ear about the money? How much of a difference in pay is he getting there vs the AHL?

I've sure he's making at least a couple hundred thousand over there. As opposed to $70k in the AHL. Still, if he want to make the real big bucks, he's gotta come to NA and learn to play here and become a quality NHL player. Then he'll really be earning serious dough. Short term loss for long term gain. Shesterkin could be making many multiples of his AHL salary. But he knows if he makes it in the NHL, he'll make a boatload more than he could anywhere else.

 

[Larrybiv]

Thanks for keeping us updated. It was a great pass.

His supporting of his teammate for the puck and awareness of where his other teammate was......was much better than the actual pass. It was on his backhand......yeah, I am nitpicking. Lol.

 

[RangerBoy]

Most guys coming over from Russia, and many from Europe, negotiate an EAC. Very few use it. From his interviews, he clearly wasn't happy here, but rather than tough it out and work on improving his game in a way that will actually help him become an NHL player, he exercised his EAC the very first day possible to go home and play for an absolute dumpster fire.

End of the world? No. Waste of a season? Probably, given the way things are unfolding with Traktor.

I remember watching Bob McKenzie discussing the Kravstov opt out a few days before the window to opt out opened on October 25 and thinking this player isn’t going back to Russia. He spent his entire summer here. Why would he leave? I remember listening to JD discussing Kravstov spending his summer here and how great it was. This guy seems fully committed.

Wrong. Very wrong.

He has been in Russia for three weeks. Has he gotten better in those three weeks? It’s a wasted season of development.

The Rangers should just tell him to stay in Russia when Traktor’s season is over. The Rangers will send him to the AHL and he will probably mope again.

You watch interviews with Chytil and Lindgren discussing their experience in Hartford. Great coaching staff. Lindgren said the coaching staff is a great group of guys. You have Kravstov who never gave it a chance. Three weeks. Gone.

Very disappointing.

The Rangers can’t be happy. I read Brooks and Carpiniello who say the Rangers are OK or fine with the decision. That’s nonsense. I wouldn’t be happy if I were Gorton or JD.

 

[Thirty One]

He has been in Russia for three weeks. Has he gotten better in those three weeks? It’s a wasted season of development.

Incredible sequence here.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

I remember watching Bob McKenzie discussing the Kravstov opt out a few days before the window to opt out opened on October 25 and thinking this player isn’t going back to Russia. He spent his entire summer here. Why would he leave? I remember listening to JD discussing Kravstov spending his summer here and how great it was. This guy seems fully committed.

Wrong. Very wrong.

He has been in Russia for three weeks. Has he gotten better in those three weeks? It’s a wasted season of development.

The Rangers should just tell him to stay in Russia when Traktor’s season is over. The Rangers will send him to the AHL and he will probably mope again.

You watch interviews with Chytil and Lindgren discussing their experience in Hartford. Great coaching staff. Lindgren said the coaching staff is a great group of guys. You have Kravstov who never gave it a chance. Three weeks. Gone.

Very disappointing.

The Rangers can’t be happy. I read Brooks and Carpiniello who say the Rangers are OK or fine with the decision. That’s nonsense. I wouldn’t be happy if I were Gorton or JD.

What’s gonna happen if/when he makes the Rangers and he tries to be fancy and dangle and turns it over in the neutral zone instead of making the safe play and dumping it in and the other team scores and he ends up in the Quinn bin? Is he gonna run home to mommy?

 

[Kovalev27]

If he went back to Russia to play for a real professional franchise I’d have less issue. And even less if he stayed there the extra year.

Traktor makes Mystery Alaska look like a great pro hockey organization.

 

[Trxjw]

The Rangers can't publicly complain about his decision. It's "okay with it" versus "happy with it." There's a big difference while seemingly innocuous.

Kravtsov wasn't ready to put in the work. It's not an ideal situation but I don't think it's a giant blow to his development either. I don't expect him to improve a ton on the ice but we can still hope he matures off the ice. He's watching Chytil light it up after his demotion. He's watching Shesty dominate after getting sent down. Hopefully Rykov does the same after he's healed up, as does Lias with his recent demotion. Then next year he shows up with a little humility and we go from there.

 

[Calad]

Most guys coming over from Russia, and many from Europe, negotiate an EAC. Very few use it. From his interviews, he clearly wasn't happy here, but rather than tough it out and work on improving his game in a way that will actually help him become an NHL player, he exercised his EAC the very first day possible to go home and play for an absolute dumpster fire.

End of the world? No. Waste of a season? Probably, given the way things are unfolding with Traktor.

This is the only season of his contract where he has the ability to use his EAC. It sucks, but ultimately that's well within his rights to use it. Similar to college kids waiting out their time to go UFA after school. It's not how you want things to go, but that's how the rules are constructed and if a player takes advantage of it can you blame him?

 

[NYR Viper]

Why can't it be possible that when he signed his ELC he explicitly stated this as a distinct possibility and the team said 'okay'? Maybe The Rangers were hoping to 'wow' him on the AHL experience but that didn't happen (nor do I think that's realistic). I'm sure the teams main concern was getting him signed to make sure he would come over following this season.

If he had stayed another season in the KHL before coming over would people be this upset? It's the D+2 season. Most of his peers are still in Juniors.

And before we start calling this a 'wasted development year' perhaps we should put things in context? He's playing in the 2nd best league in the word as a 19 year old as one of THE main guys other teams must focus on. That means thousands of reps against the other teams best defensive players. Other teams game-planning specifically for him.

I understand people being disappointed in him not staying but the leaps we are all taking about 'wasted development year' is nothing more than an emotional response, IMO.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

How closely can the Rangers monitor his progress in Russia?
Can they exercise any influence at all over his training, deployment, etc.?

Well, they tried that when he was here but he ran away like a bitch the first chance he got....

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

The kid negotiated a khl clause in his contract for this year, why is everyone singing that the sky is falling when he actually uses something he negotiated for? Of course we'd all rather he be here in NA fighting for a roster spot, but a Russian kid playing in the KHL at 19 isn't exactly a huge problem. Mountains out of molehills, people.

You're wrong. He was scratched during his short stint in Hartford and parachuted our of North America literally the first chance he got. People are right to be concerned about how he handled his first major taste of adversity. He is pissing away valuable time adjusting to the North American game because he deemed it too hard after 3 weeks.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

So Traktor gets caved in every ****ing game, and we have to hope and pray Kravtsov is working on his physicality, his willingness to dump a puck into the zone rather than dangle through four players, etc. Great move, here. This is really good for his development as an NHL prospect. But he's happy! He's in a good mental space! Hooray!

He could have been a key cog on a very competitive Hartford team if he had been willing to fight through some adversity. Disappointing.

They also could have decided to sign him next year instead of rushing him. But here we are.

 

[RangerBoy]

What’s gonna happen if/when he makes the Rangers and he tries to be fancy and dangle and turns it over in the neutral zone instead of making the safe play and dumping it in and the other team scores and he ends up in the Quinn bin? Is he gonna run home to mommy?

Kravtsov doesn't have an opt out/European Assignment Clause in his contract next season. What happens when/if the Rangers assign him to the AHL next season? What happens when the Rangers want him to go to to the AHL to finish this season? His attitude sucked in the AHL. He played 5 games. He was there for three weeks. Some of people defending Kravtsov say the Rangers are at fault because Kravtsov was a healthy scratch for one game and received a limited amount of ice time in the other five games. He played five games in three weeks. Five games in three weeks makes a season? He back home to his comfort zone. It looks awful.

 

[nyr2k2]

This is the only season of his contract where he has the ability to use his EAC. It sucks, but ultimately that's well within his rights to use it. Similar to college kids waiting out their time to go UFA after school. It's not how you want things to go, but that's how the rules are constructed and if a player takes advantage of it can you blame him?

I know how it works. I understand it's his right. And yes, I can blame him for exercising this right.

 

[Tawnos]

Kravtsov doesn't have an opt out/European Assignment Clause in his contract next season. What happens when/if the Rangers assign him to the AHL next season? What happens when the Rangers want him to go to to the AHL to finish this season? His attitude sucked in the AHL. He played 5 games. He was there for three weeks. Some of people defending Kravtsov say the Rangers are at fault because Kravtsov was a healthy scratch for one game and received a limited amount of ice time in the other five games. He played five games in three weeks. Five games in three weeks makes a season? He back home to his comfort zone. It looks awful.

I really hate when people imply a person can't change in short periods of time when they're young. What happens if the Rangers assign him to the AHL next season? Hopefully something different because hopefully he'll be mature enough to handle it by then. You know, maturing? The thing players have to do and doesn't really happen until they're 22 or 23? The thing that gets progressively better for nearly everyone?

Maybe he won't be mature enough to handle it by then, but not having an escape route could also help him mature enough to handle it better over the course of time.

 

[nyr2k2]

Why can't it be possible that when he signed his ELC he explicitly stated this as a distinct possibility and the team said 'okay'? Maybe The Rangers were hoping to 'wow' him on the AHL experience but that didn't happen (nor do I think that's realistic). I'm sure the teams main concern was getting him signed to make sure he would come over following this season.

If he had stayed another season in the KHL before coming over would people be this upset? It's the D+2 season. Most of his peers are still in Juniors.

And before we start calling this a 'wasted development year' perhaps we should put things in context? He's playing in the 2nd best league in the word as a 19 year old as one of THE main guys other teams must focus on. That means thousands of reps against the other teams best defensive players. Other teams game-planning specifically for him.

I understand people being disappointed in him not staying but the leaps we are all taking about 'wasted development year' is nothing more than an emotional response, IMO.

I think of it as a wasted development year because he was here, in our system (Hartford looks GREAT right now), learning what he needed to do to make it to the NHL and to succeed there. And instead he left to go play for a train wreck, where he can continue to try to dangle everyone to death because that's the norm over there.

Had he not come over at all, it wouldn't be a wasted year. For it to be a waste, you have to be missing some opportunity. If he was under contract for this season he wouldn't have the opportunity to become North America-ready by playing in the AHL. We'd just be counting down the days till his season ended so he could come over here.

 

[Calad]

You're wrong. He was scratched during his short stint in Hartford and parachuted our of North America literally the first chance he got. People are right to be concerned about how he handled his first major taste of adversity. He is pissing away valuable time adjusting to the North American game because he deemed it too hard after 3 weeks.

Well aware of the situation in Hartford and why he ended up leaving, but I dont agree he's "pissing away" valuable time. He thought his time would be more valuable back home with Traktor rather than riding the bus in Hartford. He knew it was a possibility that he wouldn't make the big club this year and had the out clause negotiated in his contract. If this were next season, or he didn't have an out clause and decided to bolt to Russia then I'd be as concerned as many of you are. Until then, I'll let the kid play hockey and earn a few extra hundred thousand bucks.

 

[nyr2k2]

They also could have decided to sign him next year instead of rushing him. But here we are.

It takes two to tango. Other players have said no to the Rangers before. He wasn't forced to sign here. Only in retrospect does it seem that we "rushed" him. When he signed his ELC and said he was coming over, no one said he was being rushed.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Well aware of the situation in Hartford and why he ended up leaving, but I dont agree he's "pissing away" valuable time. He thought his time would be more valuable back home with Traktor rather than riding the bus in Hartford. He knew it was a possibility that he wouldn't make the big club this year and had the out clause negotiated in his contract. If this were next season, or he didn't have an out clause and decided to bolt to Russia then I'd be as concerned as many of you are. Until then, I'll let the kid play hockey and earn a few extra hundred thousand bucks.

Ok. Talk to me in a year when you're actually concerned as well. But let me know when you have a legitimate argument as to how Kravtsov going back to Russia benefits the Rangers organization in any way, shape, or form.

 

[Thirty One]

Kravtsov doesn't have an opt out/European Assignment Clause in his contract next season. What happens when/if the Rangers assign him to the AHL next season? What happens when the Rangers want him to go to to the AHL to finish this season? His attitude sucked in the AHL. He played 5 games. He was there for three weeks. Some of people defending Kravtsov say the Rangers are at fault because Kravtsov was a healthy scratch for one game and received a limited amount of ice time in the other five games. He played five games in three weeks. Five games in three weeks makes a season? He back home to his comfort zone. It looks awful.

I actually heard someone say that it was the Rangers' fault because they should have put him in the NHL. 1 shot on goal in 5 AHL games, and he should be moved to the next level. I hope someone else teaches that guy's kids how to swim.

I wish he was toughing it out in the AHL. Oh well. I have no idea why we would declare this a wasted season in mid-November.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

It takes two to tango. Other players have said no to the Rangers before. He wasn't forced to sign here. Only in retrospect does it seem that we "rushed" him. When he signed his ELC and said he was coming over, no one said he was being rushed.

This x1000

The thing that annoys me the most is when people try to blame just 1 party in these type of situations. Kravtsov could have put more effort in to try and stick. Work through the rough patch, so to speak. But at the same time it's foolish to ignore the decisions of the organization that led to this situation

 

[nyr2k2]

I actually heard someone say that it was the Rangers' fault because they should have put him in the NHL. 1 shot on goal in 5 AHL games, and he should be moved to the next level. I hope someone else teaches that guy's kids how to swim.

I wish he was toughing it out in the AHL. Oh well. I have no idea why we would declare this a wasted season in mid-November.

Others may still disagree, but I think it would be reasonable to call this a wasted opportunity. He had an opportunity to come here and acclimate to North American and the North American game, work with our coaching staff, focus on whatever he needed to do to be effective in the pro game here, and instead, he went back to Traktor. For me, that's a wasted opportunity. He could end up having a great year and taking strides, sure. So he does have a chance to make it a worthwhile season. But even then, I would still see a wasted opportunity.

 

[Tawnos]

Ok. Talk to me in a year when you're actually concerned as well. But let me know when you have a legitimate argument as to how Kravtsov going back to Russia benefits the Rangers organization in any way, shape, or form.

It's not like Russia is a bad place for players to develop. Of the top-10 Russian scorers last year, Kuznetsov, Panarin, Dadonov, Tarasenko, and Buchnevich all spent their D+2 in Russia (obviously Panarin wasn't drafted, but he was still over there at the same age Kravtsov is right now). Of the other 5, 3 were top-2 picks that were in the NHL in their D+1, or in Ovie's case he would've been if not for the 04-05 lockout. Not a single one of them was in the AHL in D+2 (Kucherov and Radulov were playing in Canadian Jrs FFS).

I think there are benefits to him being in the AHL vs the KHL this season, but they seem to be vastly overstated in this thread. Being in the KHL in D+2 is not going to stunt Kravtsov's development. While there are things he might lose out on by not playing in the North American game, there are other things he can gain other things playing in the Russian game. It's not like he dominated there last year and has nothing left to learn.