Rangers' Vitali Kravtsov Could Join Team This Month From KHL

New York Rangers' Vitali Kravtsov could join the club this month from Russia.

The ninth overall pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft was playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League this past season.

Traktor was recently eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, losing 3-2 to Salavat Yulaev on March 11, who will advance on to the conference semi-finals.

Going into the season, the plan was to let him develop by playing a full year in the KHL before coming back to New York. Kravtsov collected 16 goals and 24 points in the regular season, adding another two goals and five points in a short post-season appearance.

Vince Mercogliano of USA Today reports that the forward will undergo a 10-14 day transition period from the time he wraps up his obligations in the KHL and does his COVID-19 quarantine to when he can start practicing with the Rangers. That means the team's brass will get a look at him near the end of the month.

For those who have asked, I’ve been told to anticipate a 10-14 day transition for Vitali Kravtsov from the time Traktor is eliminated until he can start practicing with #NYR. That accounts for travel, quarantine, COVID protocols, etc. (Also discussed on this week’s pod.)
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) March 11, 2021

If he shows he is ready to play during practice, head coach David Quinn could insert him into the lineup at the earliest possible opportunity. Reports say Kravstov is NHL ready. However, KHL players always seem to have difficulty adjusting to the faster and more competitive brand of hockey in North America right out of the gate.

The Rangers have lost the last three games in a row and currently sit outside the playoff picture, nine points back of the fourth-place Boston Bruins in MassMutual East Division.

Following the Rangers' 2019 training camp, Kravstov was assigned to the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack. He registered one assist in five games before opting to return to the KHL on loan from the Rangers, October 27, 2019.

He appeared in 11 games that year for Traktor, recording three points before being demoted to their VHL affiliate, Chelmet. The Rangers then prematurely ended the loan agreement and re-assigned him to the Wolfpack, where he appeared in another 34 games, ending the 2019-20 campaign with six goals, 15 points.

On August 30, 2020, Kravtsov signed a one-year extension with Traktor.