Former New York Rangers 1st-Round Bust Transforming Into A Legitimate Superstar
Photo credit: Blue Seat Blogs
The New York Rangers draft history is littered with former 1st round draft picks which didn't work out. One of those is former skilled forward, Vitali Kravtsov.
While Kravtsov's time in the NHL ended after his short-stint with the Vancouver Canucks, he found a home back in the KHL.
His last year in the NHL saw him play 16 games with the Vancouver Canucks, and he'd only score 2 points ( 1 G, 1 A ).
Now, in year two with the Traktor Chelyabinsk KHL club, he's played 45 games this season and has been on a verifiable tear.
This season he'd scored 34 points ( 14 G, 20 A ) in 45 games with Chelyabinsk, the original club he was with before heading to the NHL.
He originally debuted with Traktor in 2017, making him the youngest player in team history. That only heightened expectations on Broadway.
He would arrive in 2019-2020 and suit up for the Hartford Wolfpack scoring 15 points ( 6 G, 9 A ) in 39 games before returning to the KHL for two more seasons.
The following season, 2021-22, saw Kravtsov go back to the KHL, as it was clear he was not ready to play in the NHL. That, and the fact that he outwardly expressed his disappointment about not being given an opportunity to play regular minutes in the NHL. So, instead of playing in Hartford, he scored six goals and had 13 points in 19 games for Traktor that season, leading to another crack with the Rangers.
And would jump back into Rangers colors during the 202-2021 season and would only play 20 games.
This would continue until 2022-2023 when he'd finally carve out a full-time role in the NHL, and the Canucks would be the next team to get him a shot at a spot in the lineup.
He'd only score 2 points ( 1 G, 1 A ) in 16 games before he'd head back to the KHL and suit up for his former squad the Traktor Chelyabinsk.
The Canucks still hold his NHL rights but have no intent on signing him after they let him travel back home, where it seems he's found his game.
Kravtsov may not have worked out in the NHL, and if he wanted to may be able to find suitors after this season ends, as he's projected to score 51 points in 67 games in the KHL.
It's terrible he may never work out in the NHL, but he seems to have found where he belongs on the club he was with since he was 17 now a star in the league.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 15 | 792 ANSWERS Former New York Rangers 1st-Round Bust Transforming Into A Legitimate Superstar Did you think forward Vitali Kravtsov was ever good enough to be a full-time New York Rangers player? | ||
| Yes | 258 | 32.6 % |
| No | 534 | 67.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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