Vitali Kravtsov Breaks His Silence on What Comes Next With the Vancouver Canucks
Photo credit: Bob Frid - Imagn Images.
Forward Vitali Kravtsov recently opened up about his return to the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks after spending the last two seasons abroad.
While the Vancouver Canucks might not have been able to achieve their goal of landing a second line center this past summer, General Manager Patrik Allvin was still able to add some nice pieces to the team's roster including Evander Kane, who he acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers, along with Russian forward Vitali Kravtsov, someone fans are quite familiar with.
Kravtsov initially joined the Vancouver Canucks in a trade with the New York Rangers in February 2023, however just a few months later he decided to head back to the KHL, putting up impressive numbers including 27 goals and 58 points in 66 games, after which set up a return to British Columbia after signing a one-year deal for the 2025-26 campaign.
"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 back in early August.
Vitali Kravtsov opens up about return to the National Hockey League
When speaking with reporters on Friday after the second day of Vancouver's training camp, Vitali Kravtsov opened up about why he's returning to the National Hockey League now rather than staying in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk for another season.
Kravtsov says while he's unsure if he'll be on Vancouver's opening night roster, his game has grown a lot in the last two years, with former Canadian World Junior Head Coach Benoit Groulx helping him in a big way last year.
«We had a French Canadian coach [Benoit Groulx]. I learned from him a lot about how to translate my game from there to here, just learned a lot about trying to be better defensively and offensively." Kravtsov said.
When talking about his chances to make the roster, he added, "I can shoot, I can make plays, but I need to translate from here to there. It's going to be hard. I'm here to show my best hockey and keep improving, every practice, every day, and show that I deserve a spot on this team."
When talking about his chances to make the roster, he added, "I can shoot, I can make plays, but I need to translate from here to there. It's going to be hard. I'm here to show my best hockey and keep improving, every practice, every day, and show that I deserve a spot on this team."
The Vladivostok, Russia native will be competing with at least five others for one or two spots on Vancouver's bottom-six to start the season and it certainly won't be easy, but he'll be given every opportunity to prove himself, with the potential that he could suit up for the Canucks in their preseason opener on Sunday in Seattle.
If Kravtsov's camp doesn't go well, he'll need to clear waivers in order to be assigned to the American Hockey League and it's not a guarantee that he'll clear, especially after the season he had in Russia last year.
Source: Daily Hive/Trevor Beggs
Kravtsov trained with superstar Russian player before NHL comeback attempt with Vancouver Canucks
Kravtsov trained with superstar Russian player before NHL comeback attempt with Vancouver Canucks
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SEPTEMBRE 20 | 1128 ANSWERS Vitali Kravtsov Breaks His Silence on What Comes Next With the Vancouver Canucks Do you think Vitali Kravtsov will be on the Vancouver Canucks' opening night roster? | ||
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