Vancouver Canucks May Have Unlocked Filip Chytil's Full Potential by Signing Former Teammate

While everyone knew that they weren't done adding this summer, the Vancouver Canucks still surprised their fans on Tuesday afternoon as the club officially announced the signing of forward Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 US at the NHL level and $450,000 US in the minors.

General Manager Patrik Allvin was very happy that they were able to bring Kravtsov back to North America after two seasons abroad and is looking forward to seeing what he's capable of doing for the club during training camp next month.

Before to being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in February 2023, the Vitali Kravtsov had a rocky relationship with the New York Rangers, who selected him ninth overall five years prior.

After some drama in the fall of 2021 with Kravtsov refusing to be assigned to the AHL and heading back to Russia, the Rangers have him one more chance during the 2022-23 campaign, but it didn't work out, recording just six points in 28 games before he move to Vancouver, which saw the Canucks give up Will Lockwood and a seventh round pick.

During his time with the New York Rangers, Kravtsov was a teammates with Filip Chytil, both in the AHL during the 2019-20 season and during the 2022-23 campaign in the NHL and there was a bit of chemistry between the two.

Adam Kierszenblat of The Hockey News pointed out in a social media post on Tuesday evening that Kravtsov and Chytil played nearly 68 minutes together during the 2022-23 season, outscoring their opponents 5-1 in that time.

After a solid year in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk, where he set a pair of franchise records, and put up 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 66 games, the Vancouver Canucks are hoping that he can step into the NHL this fall and make an impact, likely in a bottom-six role.