Rumor: Both Habs & Sens have expressed interest in a trade with the Rangers.

It appears as though two Canadian rivals may be in a heated race for a very hot National Hockey League prospect.

Earlier in the season the New York Rangers made the decision to send former first round pick Vitali Kravtsov down to the American Hockey League to start the 2021 - 2022 campaign. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the decision from the Rangers there is one thing that is certain, Kravtsov himself did not approve of their choice.

As a result Kravtsov refused to report to the AHL, where he was assigned to the Rangers' affiliate team the Hartford Wolfpack, and instead made his way back to his home country of Russia and resumed playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. Kravtsov's response to the AHL assignment made it clear to everyone that his time with the Rangers has come to an end and furthermore it was an indication that Kravtsov was looking to be traded to another franchise.

There's little doubt that the former first round pick (9th overall) at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft will draw interest from around the league, and it would appear that he has already done so. NHL insider Frank Seravalli revealed this week that both the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators are two teams worth keeping an eye on when it comes to the Kravtsov situation.

From Seravalli:

League sources say the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators were the two teams who expressed the most interest in Kravtsov, who refused his assignment to AHL Hartford and forced his way back to Russia.

There's no word yet on what kind of return the Rangers would want before agreeing to move Kravtsov to another team, effectively giving up on their former first rounder in the process, but the young forward has done them some favors since returning to the KHL. In his first game back with his old team, Chelyabinsk Traktor, Kravtsov recorded a pair of goals and an assist for 3 points. 

This goal in particular no doubt managed to catch the eye of any NHL team that has been keeping tabs on this situation: