The Rangers are coming into the 2019 season HOT. A lot is to be said about the Rangers drafting Kaapo Kakko with the number 2 pick and signing free agent Artemi Panarin but I’m here to tell you about a name that I believe will shock a TON of people and that name is Vitali Kravtsov. Drafted 9th in the 2018 draft, the KHL rookie of the year opened some eyes in the U20s putting up 16 points in 16 games as a center (not his natural position) with a torn tricep, an injury that I would need to be stretchered anywhere and everywhere. How did he stack up in the KHL in terms of comparisons? How about this one?
Panarin, hm ever heard of him?
Kravtsovs imagination with the puck is what makes him so much fun to watch. The creativity he has as he flys down the wing and to the net (YES HE DRIVES THE NET) makes an average Rangers fan go from 6 to midnight. Plays like this:
And this:
And this:
This summer Kravtsov signed his ELC and should be ready to make the squad after camp. One of the coolest things about this is that because the Rangers had the second overall pick this year, added names like Panarin, Trouba, Kakko and Fox, it seems that Kravtsov has almost been forgot about. Saying this is crazy, especially after all of the things listed above, but for a 9th overall pick with potentially elite talent coming over with far less pressure than what could’ve been, sounds like a recipe for success.
