New York Rangers: Yegor Rykov’s Mysterious KHL Season

The New York Rangers acquired Yegor Rykov from New Jersey, as part of the Michael Grabner trade. Now, he is a part of some potentially fishy business in Russia.

When the New York Rangers acquired defensive prospect Yegor Rykov from New Jersey, it bolstered an already strong group of young defensemen in the Rangers system. Rykov was considered to already be NHL ready, but had one more year remaining on his contract in the KHL.

As a member of SKA St. Petersburg, one of the premier teams in the KHL, Rykov had a terrific 2017-18 season. He scored two goals and 12 assists in 52 games; this may not look impressive on the surface, but for a 20 year old on one of the deepest teams in the league, simply playing at all was impressive. Producing as he did through a full season was downright incredible.

All eyes were on Rykov as he began his 2018-19 KHL season, presumably the last before making the jump to North America. However, something strange happened: he wasn’t on the team. Rykov has since been playing games in the VHL, Russia’s equivalent of the AHL. Even there, though, his ice time has been limited and rumors of transactions have swirled about the media.

To date, Rykov has played not played a single KHL game. Down in the VHL for SKA-Neva, he has played just one game, spending the rest of the month of September as the seventh defenseman. Concern is beginning to grow over in North America, as Rangers fans anticipate further development of Rykov’s talents.

So, what does this mean for the young Russian? And more importantly, what kind of player is he?

Rykov and Russia

For starters, Rykov is an all-around defenseman who can contribute in all three zones. He has good offensive instincts, great mobility and is smart away from the puck. He can surprise you with skilled puck plays as well, as most Russians tend to. His most common comparison is a lite version of Ivan Provorov; so, likely a strong second pair, left-handed D.

Now, SKA St. Petersburg is essentially the New York Yankees of the KHL. The lack of a salary cap, plus St. Petersburg being rich to near unlimited capacity, allows them to acquire just about every high-end talent the KHL has to offer. When Rykov managed to stick with that team all year long, interest grew.

However, with popularity also comes the propensity for drama. Coaches do not often like to hand out ice time to young players over in Russia. While that may have appeared to have been settled last season, it’s possible the team decided otherwise this year.

Where the confusion lies is why his play time in the minors has also been stunted. Though this is simply speculation, the KHL has a reputation for some fishy business occasionally. Some are beginning to think that Rykov’s desire to move to the NHL forced SKA to sabotage his development, as punishment for wanting to leave. The same rumor was made about Pavel Buchnevich years ago.

In spite of this, there is no reason to worry. It is possible Rykov may be traded to a smaller market team, where he will certainly play more games. There is even a slim chance he may negotiate a mutual termination of his contract, which would allow him to come to North America right away. Either way, he will play, he will develop, and we will know very soon exactly what kind of player he is.

Of the three KHL prospects the Rangers have, Rykov is the one shrouded in mystery, and the drama has only highlighted this even more. The KHL season is now entering its second month. If any moves are to be made with Rykov, it won’t be long until they are.

I hear Vitali Kravtsov’s Traktor Chelyabinsk is in need of some help on defense.