Larry Brooks: Vitaly Kravtsov headed back to the KHL

[The Crypto Guy]

It is weird he would delete all his Ranger related photos on his IG. His KHL picture is still up. He’s not happy with the organization, and I don’t blame him. Lol heart rate was too low so be was benched and scratched.

 

[Kovalev27]

There has to be a misunderstanding with the heart rate thing. There’s no way they got mad at him for that. His VO2 was probably lousy and they made a comment on it. He took it and ran with it as a big issue when really they probably just wanted him to work on conditioning. One way or another it’s obviously in one ear and out the other with this kid. Clearly immature and sure 19 year olds are immature but not 19 year old star athletes. They usually are mature beyond their years. So he’s got some work to do between the ears.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Both Kravtsov and the Rangers organization are looking really bad here. It's normal to be disappointed in a demotion and benching, but Vitali needs to take it as a lesson and try to learn from it instead of pouting and taking his ball and going home at the first sign of adversity. He's acting like the Rangers broke up with him and taking down all pictures of the ex. @Kovalev27 has a point. Own up to it, hold yourself accountable, work harder than you've ever worked taking the Rangers coaching feedback to heart, and come back next year and prove them wrong.

Then again, the Rangers aren't free of blame here either.

 

[FireGerardGallant]

Think this whole Ig fiasco is being made a big deal over relatively little.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

How is it suppose to be taken?

As coach speak for ‘don’t wait around for the play to come to you, take it to them’ unless you truly believe they’re checking his heart rate every time he gets to the bench

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Maybe but I still really, really hope that isn't true.

I guess it kind of depends what you think they meant by it

 

[Sayba]

Walhstrom Mittelstadt Kakko line would look pretty good right now.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

I’m a pretty liberal person, and I loathe all the everyone gets a trophy crap. But the people killing the organization and treating this kid as a victim because they hurt his feelings are out of their minds. He was asked to start the season in Hartford and pouted. It’s fine to be disappointed but be like Chytil, go down there, work and get called up sometime this year. Seems he has an entitled attitude and just expected to start the season in the NHL. That’s on him and his agent, not the Rangers.

 

[FireGerardGallant]

Walhstrom Mittelstadt Kakko line would look pretty good right now.

Oh yay were doing this again

 

[Sayba]

Oh yay were doing this again

I've never let it go, my chance to point it out again. If the Rangers knew they were going to get Kakko, ( no way of knowing) pretty sure Kravtsov would not have been the pick.

 

[NY Lito]

I really don’t see how anyone is blaming the Rangers here. As it’s been said countless times already, he came over already thinking he made the big club. He didn’t, got sent to Hartford, and responded terribly by taking his ball and going home.

Now, am I going to blast him for this? No. He is a kid, everyone matures differently. But the fact is there are plenty of other 19 year-olds who would have taken this on the chin and worked their ass off. I’m sure Chytil wasn’t too happy to start down in Hartford but look at how he’s handled it.

Overall a bad look for this guy. And deleting all his Ranger pics, while in and of itself isn’t a big deal at all, shows just how immature he is.

 

[Chaels Arms]

The VO2 thing just screams miscommunication.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

I've never let it go, my chance to point it out again. If the Rangers knew they were going to get Kakko, ( no way of knowing) pretty sure Kravtsov would not have been the pick.

What has Wahlstron done this year?

 

[FireGerardGallant]

What has Wahlstron done this year?

He's in the Nhl but hasn't scored or assisted yet. It's way too early to be doing this again

 

[Ola]

There has to be a misunderstanding with the heart rate thing. There’s no way they got mad at him for that. His VO2 was probably lousy and they made a comment on it. He took it and ran with it as a big issue when really they probably just wanted him to work on conditioning. One way or another it’s obviously in one ear and out the other with this kid. Clearly immature and sure 19 year olds are immature but not 19 year old star athletes. They usually are mature beyond their years. So he’s got some work to do between the ears.

No, it’s a ‘new’ thing. Keeping tabs of players during practices and some does it during games too (Winnipeg for example, in soccer its however not allowed to wear like a pulse belt during games).

I can definitely see a coach telling a player that he wasn’t pushing himself enough during a practice.

 

[Sayba]

What has Wahlstron done this year?

Not much, he is in the NHL currently. I just like his game better, pretty sure most of this board did as well before the draft.

 

[Kovalev27]

No, it’s a ‘new’ thing. Keeping tabs of players during practices and some does it during games too (Winnipeg for example, in soccer its however not allowed to wear like a pulse belt during games).

I can definitely see a coach telling a player that he wasn’t pushing himself enough during a practice.

fair enough but you know what I’ll take the Rangers training staff over most in the world and their word for it. If they don’t think the kid is working hard enough he probably isn’t. And considering how this all played out I’m fairly confident in saying he went to Hartford and completely pouted and mailed it in.

I watched his games he made some solid defensive efforts but hardly looked like he was trying to make a difference out there.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

Not much, he is in the NHL currently. I just like his game better, pretty sure most of this board did as well before the draft.

There’s no indication he’ll be any better than Kravtsov just because he’s is the NHL

 

[Sayba]

There’s no indication he’ll be any better than Kravtsov just because he’s is the NHL

I don't disagree but obviously not a good a start to his NA hockey career.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

I don't disagree but obviously not a good a start to his NA hockey career.

It’s a fantastically awful start.

 

[nyr2k2]

Feels like the heart rate comment isn’t suppose to be taken as literal as everyone is taking it

The VO2 thing just screams miscommunication.

I've thought this as well. I would guess there is either substantially more to it or substantially less to it than what we've heard. There's no doubt they're monitoring the players' fitness, but I simply can't believe they were legitimately upset with Kravtsov because his BPM was slightly lower than what a chart would indicate his maximum ought to be.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

It is weird he would delete all his Ranger related photos on his IG. His KHL picture is still up. He’s not happy with the organization, and I don’t blame him. Lol heart rate was too low so be was benched and scratched.

He still likes Greenwich CT! He must have visited @StaalsXpensiveCTDigs

 

[Ola]

It’s a fantastically awful start.

DQ and co only have had good things to say about him and we haven’t heard any negatives from HFD. So I am not quite sure how much tangible this can be based on.

I also want to point out that Kravy played the same way in the AHL as he did in Traverse. Did he pout there too?

He cleared his IG before going to NY, then before going home (reportedly). I don’t know what that is about, can anyone explain it? Maybe it’s just a new chapter thing?

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

DQ and co only have had good things to say about him and we haven’t heard any negatives from HFD. So I am not quite sure how much tangible this can be based on.

I also want to point out that Kravy played the same way in the AHL as he did in Traverse. Did he pout there too?

He cleared his IG before going to NY, then before going home (reportedly). I don’t know what that is about, can anyone explain it? Maybe it’s just a new chapter thing?

I don’t care about his IG or Twitter. I’m more concerned he bolted home at the first sign of adversity. He was scratched the second game of the season in Hartford. That seems more like an attitude issue rather than an on ice thing.

 

[ohbaby]

Nothing earth shattering.

Said there were multiple factors but he didn’t want to delve into them. About being cut from the Rangers he was told that they wanted him getting top-6 minutes in Hartford instead of limited minutes to stay with the Rangers. In Hartford they clearly didn’t like his effort noting a low heart rate during games / while on ice. Kravtsov noted that he always had a low heart rate. He also was not ready to play straight line NA style of hockey. Said he’d probably be in KHL the whole season even though the Rangers have an option to recall him.

IMHO He should have stayed in Hartford. Situation in Chelyabinsk is not ideal. Coaching is being questioned again, just like at the start of last season with Titov. This time is because the team is in the last place because its scoring is even lower than last year, as impossible as it sounds.

They measure a guys performance by heart rate now? Pathetic. What are they too lazy to watch them on the ice?

It was only one game. One game and they decide to bench him. IMO that is as ridiculous as it gets. He was sent down to get top minutes and they bench him. There is talk in the Kakko thread, this organization has no clue on how to develop prized youngsters, and after this, I tend to agree with them.