Russian Coach Voices Concerns Over Vancouver Canucks' New Addition Vitali Kravtsov's North American Game
Photo credit: Bob Frid - USA TODAY Sports
Patrik Allvin's decision to bring back Vitali Kravtsov after spending the last two seasons in the KHL was recently praised by a former Vancouver Canucks coach.
In early August, a couple of months after he became a free agent overseas, the Vancouver Canucks decided to bring forward Vitali Kravtsov back to North America after two seasons in the KHL, signing him to a one-year deal, a move that surprised some, but General Manager Patrik Allvin was very happy about it getting done.
"Vitali had a strong season in the KHL and was an impact player for his team. In his two seasons in Russia, he has worked hard on his game, and we look forward to seeing where Vitali is at when he comes to training camp in Penticton." Allvin said.
With training camp two weeks away, Kravtsov's first since 2022 with the New York Rangers, a former member of the Vancouver Canucks staff spoke about and praised the team's decision to sign the Russian forward.
Former Vancouver Canucks coach praises team's decision to sign Vitali Kravtsov
Kravtsov was lights out in his second season back in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk, registering a team-high 27 goals and finished second on his club in points with 58, nine back of Maxim Shabanov - who signed this summer with the New York Islanders - for first place.
While he may be in tough trying to land a roster spot right out of training camp, he could end up being a decent depth piece for the club, especially if he's able to find that spark and can produce at the NHL level.
During a recent interview with Russian media outlet MatchTV.ru, former Vancouver Canucks coach Sergei Gonchar, who left the club this summer, believes that the signing of Vitali Kravtsov was a smart one for the Canucks, however the forward need to find a way to adapt to the North American style of hockey and be a bit more persistent if he wants to remain in the NHL on a full-time basis.
The following is translated from Russian
"You can tell from Kravtsov that he has everything - good skating, technique, everything else. He needs to be more persistent, get on the goal more often, adapt his game more to the North American style. A little more shooting, fighting. These components need to be developed to fit into the Canucks team. Then it will be easier for him." Gonchar said.
There's no question that Kravtsov is going to have ample opportunities in training camp to show that he is capable of being a full-time NHLer and could end up featuring in a good chunk of the team's six preseason contests in order for the coaching and management staffs to get a better idea of where the 25-year-old should start the 2025-26 campaign.
Previously on CanucksDaily
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