CANTLON: KRAVTSOV RETURNING TO HARTFORD

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Vitali Kravtsov is coming back to Hartford.

The mercurial and enigmatic, Kravtsov, 19, was recalled from his Russian loan by the New York Rangers on Friday.

Kravtsov’s contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia-KHL) was terminated after just eleven games where he scored just two goals and had a lone assist for three points. Traktor then sent Kravtsov to the KHL’s version of the AHL, which is called the VHL (Vyassha Hockey League). There he played for Chelmet Chelyabinsk, but that lasted just three games where he contributed just two assists.

The Rangers brought back Kravtsov, the seventh overall pick by the Blueshirts in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, and reassigned him to the Hartford Wolf Pack where he returns after having spent just two months back in his native Russia.

While in Hartford to start the season, Kravtsov had five listless and very disappointing games where he contributed just a lone secondary assist and was benched in game one.

The Rangers’ move bringing Kravtsov back explains Wednesday’s sudden departure of veteran Ville Meskanen, who was on an NHL contract. Meskanen was placed on unconditional waivers, and will likely be bought out of his deal if another team does not claim him. If he goes unclaimed, expect Meskanen to sign a European contract sometime early next week with a team likely to be in his native Finland.

Earlier, Kravtsov posted on his Instagram account that his contract in Russia was ended. The day before, he thanked the Traktor fans and by doing so upstaged the team’s official announcement, which is viewed as an unprofessional thing to do by a player.

Kravtsov set the bar pretty high coming off his impressive showing prior to the season at the Traverse City Prospect’s Tournament. However, since then, the youngster has seemingly fallen off the top prospect map. Reintroducing Kravtsov to the Pack locker room could prove to be tricky and will require diplomacy on the part of team management. At the same time though, returning Kravtsov’s play to match the club’s (and fan’s) expectations may require time and more patience.

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke