In a one-on-one interview with lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, Vitali Kravtsov discussed his turbulent start to the season.
www.lohud.com
"I try not to (worry) about what’s going to be," he said following Tuesday's practice at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown. "If I’m going to play, I’ll try to put all my effort into the game. I know it’s hard, but I don’t think about it right now. I just try to stay positive."
"Of course, I want to play," Kravtsov told lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. "But the coaches think I’m not doing enough, so I’m just going to practice until I’m ready. That’s all that I can do right now. I can’t control those other things."
Kravtsov was treading lightly with his responses to questions that are understandably difficult to answer. He's well-aware that he made waves by acting on his disappointment in years' past and
has expressed regret about the way he handled it, particularly last season when he refused an assignment to AHL Hartford and returned home to Russia without the team's permission.
That's why, when asked if Gallant or anyone from the coaching staff has communicated reasons for his string of healthy scratches, he hesitated before admitting, "I don’t know what the situation is, but no one talked to me."
That lack of communication seems ill-advised given the shaky history between organization and player, but all indications are that Kravtsov has kept his head down without complaining.
He leans on teammate and fellow Russian Artemi Panarin for guidance.
"Bread helps me stay positive," he said. "I talk to him a lot about hockey, mental health – everything. I get big support from him."
That patience may finally pay off.
Three straight losses seem to have convinced Gallant to reinsert Kravtsov against the Senators on Wednesday. He practiced in the right-wing spot on the third line Tuesday, with Alexis Lafrenière at left wing and Ryan Carpenter in the middle. Vincent Trocheck sat out for maintenance reasons and will bump one of them out upon his return, but it appears Carpenter will be the guy.
It's an overdue decision for a team that's in a funk and in need of a jolt − and needs to find out if one of its top prospects can help.
"Just show us your skill," Gallant said of his message to Kravtsov. "Show us your talent. Show us your work ethic. We talk about what kind of players you want on our hockey team. We want them to play fast, we want them to play a 200-foot game, be responsible defensively and show us your talent."
Despite only appearing in six of 23 games so far this season, Kravtsov said the recent losing has weighed on him, as well. Watching without being able to make a difference brings its own kind of frustration.
Now he'll get to the chance to show whether or not he can be part of the solution.
"I’m part of the team," he said. "If the team loses and I don’t play, I lose, too. I don’t think about myself above the team. I think about the group. If I don’t play, and some of the other guys who don’t play – we still have to put our energy and effort into (helping). That’s what a team means."
