How will Kravtsov’s success in the KHL compare to the NHL?

NHL players

When comparing the KHL and the NHL, many people look at former NHL players who have excelled as an example that it is an inferior league.  The case study would Nigel Dawes.

Nigel Dawes was the Rangers’ fifth round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.   He was a big scorer for the Kootenay Ice of the WHL with 47 goals and 92 points in 72 games his draft year.  Dawes eventually made his way to Madison Square Garden, but couldn’t stick and split his time between New York and Hartford for two seasons.   He was a solid scorer, totaling 28 goals between the NHL and the AHL for both seasons.  He didn’t fit into the “Czechmates” of Jaromir Jagr and was eventually traded to  Phoenix.

Dawes hung around the NHL for two more years before he found a new home in the KHL. He has played the last ten seasons in Russia and has been a top scorer every year.  His 248 goals are the second most of any player in KHL  history and he is fifth all-time in points with 466. He has become a KHL legend.

Last season, as a 35-year old, he scored 20 goals and 50 points for Yekaterinburg Automobilist and is now in his 11th season in the KHL.  While his success in the KHL could be seen as an indication of the level of quality in that league,  there’s no way of knowing how well Dawes could have done if he had chosen to return to the NHL when he was at his peak.

Other players who couldn’t make the NHL have done well in the KHL.

Ex-Ranger Peter Holland has found a home in the KHL.  Last season he finished 14th in scoring with 17 goals and 43 points. He was last seen in the NHL in 2017-18 with the Rangers when he scored one goal and four points in 23 games. The Rangers traded him to Chicago for blueliner Darren Raddysh the following season. He scored 27 goals and 65 points in 73 games in the AHL and made the move to Russia last season.

Right winger Brian O’Neill who played 22 games with the Devils four years ago. Last season he was the eighth best scorer in the KHL.  Jordan Schroeder was 18th in scoring in the KHL last season after playing parts of six seasons in the NHL for three different teams.

Then you have the case of former Blueshirt Ryan Spooner who signed with Dynamo Minsk last year after being bought out by the Vancouver Canucks.  In his first full season in Russia he scored ten goals and added 37 points in 43 games, better production that he showed in the NHL.

Look at Ethan Werek.  He was a second round pick by the Rangers in the 2009 draft who they eventually traded to Phoenix for Oscar Lindberg.  After spending seven years in the AHL, Werek moved to Europe and played last season in the KHL where the center scored nine goals in 61 games for Kunlun Red Star, comparable to his totals in the AHL.

Conclusions

The KHL is acknowledged to be the second best hockey league in the world.  Critics will say it is at the same level as the American Hockey League while supporters will say it is better.  Critics will point out that players who excelled in the AHL have been able to succeed in the KHL.

One thing is certain.  As a development league for young Russian players, it fills a valuable role. Looking at players like Kucherov, Tarasenko and Panarin, they all benefited from playing in the KHL before making the move to North America.

When it comes to Kravtsov, one conclusion is that the Rangers erred in moving him to North America last season.  While it was because of his status as the ninth overall pick, there is no doubt that one more full year in Russia would have been beneficial.   It’s important to remember that he doesn’t turn 21 until December.   Luckily for the Blueshirts, it appears that Kravtsov’s path to the NHL is back on track.