The New York Rangers have loaned forward Vitali Kravtsov to HC Traktor of the KHL. He officially signed with the team on Sunday, but with one surprising piece of information. The contract is for the entire KHL season.
Updated 1:25 p.m.
Per Anthony Scultore of Forever Blueshirts, Kravtsov can be recalled back to the Rangers at any time.
“I reached out to Kravtsov’s agent, who said that news was not accurate. The Rangers can still recall Kravtsov at any point and time.”
Original story;
HC Traktor’s official Twitter account offered that small, but very important detail in the announcement on Sunday.
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? ??????? «?????-?????» ??????? ???????? ??????????? ?????. pic.twitter.com/ZsqM9VIysV
— HCTraktor1947 (@HCTraktor1947) August 30, 2020
The translated Tweet, per google translate, reads;
“Vitaly Kravtsov joined Traktor. As part of the “black and white” striker will spend a full season.”
The 20-year-old has not played a game since March when all sports leagues began shutting down due to the global pandemic. He appeared in 39 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, recording six goals and 15 points. The 2018 first-round pick of the Blueshirts then left Hartford and went back to the KHL where he managed to three goals in 11 games before being assigned to Traktor’s minor league affiliate. Kravtsov once again reevaluated his situation and with the help of the Rangers came back to North America and reported back to the AHL.
Kravtsov will now have a full KHL season to get back to the style of hockey that allowed the Rangers to use their first-round pick on two years ago. The ninth overall pick in 2018 could return sometime in March once the KHL season has concluded.