Vitali Kravtsov’s contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk officially terminated

All of the speculation on Vitali Kravtsov’s future can be put to rest. The New York Rangers have officially announced the former ninth overall pick has terminated his contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL and he’s coming back to North America. 

To say it’s been a rough year for Kravtsov would be a bit of an understatement. He seemed to be a lock to make the Rangers’ roster out of training camp but was instead sent to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL where he seemed to have a tough time finding a niche. After suiting up for five games in Hartford, Kravtsov decided to exercise a clause in his contract that would allow him to go back to Russia to play for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL, a team he spent parts of three previous seasons with. 

After 11 games with Chelyabinsk, Kravtsov was then demoted to the team’s minor league affiliate in the VHL, which happens to be based in the same city. In an interview with Russian media, Traktor CEO Boris Vidgof used in the interview said Kravtsov returned to Russia “dismantled and upset.” It seems his confidence had taken a hit after not being able to make a go of it in the AHL.

Kravtsov set off a flurry of speculation that he was coming back to the Rangers’ organization last night after a lengthy post on his Instagram thanking Traktor Chelyabinsk and his teammates for his time in Russia. It appeared he was coming back to New York, although at that time there was no official word from the team.

Now that we know what’s happening, we just have to hope that Kravtsov can reach the level that we know he’s capable of reaching and can find a regular spot with the Wolf Pack that ensured plenty of ice time for the budding youngster. Time will tell.