Vitali Kravtsov has returned to Russia to await a trade.
A trade seems inevitable.
It would appear as though the New York Rangers now have their answer.
On Saturday night National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Rangers had invited former first round pick Vitali Kravtsov to work his way back onto the team through the American Hockey League, an invitation that we can now say with confidence that Kravtsov has rejected entirely.
On Sunday Russ Cohen was able to provide an update on Kravtsov and the Russian forward is already back in Russia, his relationship with the Rangers seemingly fractured beyond repair. It would appear as though the 21 year old will be content to remain in his home country while he awaits a trade from the Rangers, and the good news is he may not have to wait very long.
According to Cohen there is already plenty of interest in Kravtsov with his sources informing him that there are around 5 teams with interest in the youngster. Whether or not any of those teams will make the Rangers an offer they like remains to be seen, but the fact that there are several teams in the mix is a good sign for the Rangers and general manager Chris Drury.
The fact that there are multiple teams interested suggest a good chance of getting a good return, but it also appears to suggest that several teams around the league feel Kravtsov can be an NHL level player. The young man himself certainly appears to feel that way, his refusal to report to the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolfpack was a clear indication that he believes he should have been on the main roster this season.
Kravtsov was drafted in the first round (9th overall) of the 2018 National Hockey League Entry Draft but in spite of his draft pedigree he largely failed to become a fixture of the Rangers roster. Kravtsov played 20 games for the Rangers during the 2020 - 2021 regular season, recording 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 total points. He finished that stretch of play with a plus minus rating of -6, and that is the totality of his NHL experience thus far.
