'SOV TO THE RACES
First-round KHL import practices with Rangers hoping to make top six
The Rangers have had their fair share of experience dealing with prospect hype — it’s something that comes naturally after landing top-two picks in the last two NHL drafts.
But with Vitali Kravtsov, the Rangers want to pump the brakes.
Kravtsov practiced with the team Wednesday for the first time since accompanying the Rangers to the Toronto bubble for the playoffs last August. He skated with the bottom six for a bit, but primarily watched while the team took line rushes ahead of Thursday’s matchup in Philadelphia. As of Wednesday, Kravtsov was listed on the team’s taxi squad.
Acting head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed Kravtsov wouldn’t be in the lineup against the Flyers and added that he doesn’t think he will be “in the immediate future.”
“Whether he’s ready for the lineup, that’s not my decision,” Knoblauch said. “I don’t know what the timetable is, that’ll be for [general manager Jeff Gorton] and [head coach David Quinn] to decide.”
Knoblauch noted that there hasn’t been much discussion with Quinn regarding where Kravtsov will be inserted into the lineup. The coaching staff, still sidelined under COVID-19 protocols, has been inquiring about how the 21year-old is doing and whether he’s happy to be there.
“I think they’ll want to see him, they’ll want to have communications with him, they’ll want to review the systems with him before they make a decision of throwing him into the lineup,” Knoblauch said.
Kravtsov, who is coming off a stellar season in the KHL, is considered a top-six player. But there is an abundance of topsix talent on the Rangers roster already, which may land the ninth-overall pick in 2018 on the third line to start.
The third line is currently nicknamed “the kid line,” with Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and, as of Wednesday’s practice, Julien Gauthier. Considering Gauthier has found himself out of the lineup before Brett Howden was designated to the COVID-19 protocol list, it’s possible Kravtsov could be slotted on the right wing with Lafreniere and Chytil.
Players like Lafreniere, Chytil and Kaapo Kakko — who was the right winger on the third line for a handful of games — have shouldered an enormous amount of expectations that come with being firstround picks. In a perfect world that’s something the Rangers would like to avoid.
“Our team’s been playing pretty good hockey right now, so if we can add a little bit that’d be nice, but we’ll see what happens,” Ryan Strome said.
“I think it’s important that everyone takes things slow and expectations slow. Often times, especially to jump in the middle of the season when we’ve got a system and all these things going, it’s tough to learn on the fly. It’s not an easy thing that he’s going to have to do, but he’s got the skill level to do it. We’ll see what happens and how the games go, looking forward to seeing what he can do.”
Strome and Ryan Lindgren, who briefly played with Kravtsov with AHL Hartford last season, noted that they’re still getting to know the Russia native. But even if there is a language barrier, both said they’ve already learned that Kravtsov has high-end skill.
That will translate onto the ice no matter what.