Mending fences with Vitali Kravtsov
By Steve Paulus
The New York Rangers are taking steps to improve some tenuous relationships.
When it comes to the New York Rangers and their relationship with some recent high draft picks, the team’s track record hasn’t been great. There have been a series of missteps with the future core of the team. The good news is that the team is taking pains to mend those fences.
Whether it was the Lias Andersson fiasco, the issues with Vitali Kravtsov, how Kaapo Kakko’ was deployed or how the team handled the vicious racist comments aimed at K’Andre Miller, things have not gone swimmingly with the team’s best prospects.
The latest news was that the Rangers invited 2018 first round pick Vitali Kravtsov to their postseason training camp, scheduled to begin on July 10. Blue Line Station reported that John Davidson said as much in his Zoom interview on the Rangers’ website last week.
From the interview, it’s clear that Davidson is working hard to get prospects like Kravtsov back on track and bringing him to training camp is a solid first step.
Davidson said “I think that with Kravtsov, he’s gonna come to our camp…we’ll see how it goes. We’re gonna need some depth and skill as we march along. We’ll see how he has matured and if he hasn’t we’ll have to find a way to get him to develop in different ways. ”
Last summer, after signing his Entry Level Contract, Kravtsov came to North America early to begin training and work on his English. Being demoted to Hartford was a bitter disappointment for him. He had some communications issues with the coaching staff with the Wolf Pack and he exercised his European Assignment Clause and returned to Russia. Things didn’t go well in Russia and he ended up coming back and finishing the season in Hartford where he scored six goals and 15 points in 39 games.
Davidson spoke about Kravtsov’s issues . “I love his skill…he wanted something real quick that didn’t happen. It bothered him, but we worked with him and we’re gonna continue to work with him. He’s a strong asset for us, he’s got an immense amount of skill…hopefully you’ll see maturity and development. Sometimes it takes longer…he’s so darn young.”
When the 19-year old Kravtsov returned to Russia, he deleted all Instagram posts related to the Rangers, a clear indication of how he felt. Now, there’s a picture of him in a Rangers uniform back on his site.
Kravtsov is only one example of how John Davidson and the Rangers organization are taking great pains to nurture their future. Though Lias Andersson declined their invitation to the summer training camp, they continue to work with him. They have bent over backward to prioritize the health concerns for Kaapo Kakko who has type 1 diabetes.
Nothing would please the team and their fans more than Kravtsov showing that he is ready for the NHL. Despite the tribulations of this season, he still displayed the skill that the team believed he possessed when they made him the ninth overall pick in 2018. Last month, the Hockey News ranked Kravtsov as the 23rd best of the top 100 NHL prospects.
For John Davidson, the expanded postseason roster will allow the team to give young players valuable experience whether they play or not. As for Kravtsov’s future, Davidson put it best, “It’s up to him. We’ll analyze him from day one in camp. and see how it goes.”