As the KHL playoffs continue, all eyes are on 2018’s 9th overall pick Vitali Kravtsov. He’s off to a great start in the playoffs, but his team isn’t expected to make a run. The RW is expected to make the jump to the NHL immediately following his team’s departure from the playoffs. The thing is, the Rangers have a bit of a logjam at wing. So where would Vitali Kravtsov’s role be when he comes to the NHL?
Current Logjam
As it stands today, the Rangers have Pavel Buchnevich and Kaapo Kakko locked into their top-six roles on the wing. The bottom-six is where the roles get cloudy, as the Rangers seem to rotate between Julien Gauthier, Colin Blackwell, and Phil Di Giuseppe.
Blackwell has been the best of the bunch, but Gauthier has a lot of untapped potential. We see it in flashes, but it isn’t consistent. He reminds me a lot of Filip Chytil’s development –just the development, not the style of play– in that we saw flashes of Chytil’s skill until he put it all together this year.
There is no real consensus on which two of this trio should play regularly. Blackwell is a great story, and one of those guys who can play anywhere and be productive. But is someone like that going to hold back Kravtsov from getting legitimate minutes?
Even Strength Role
It seems that Kravtosv is likely headed to a 3RW spot when he comes over. It makes sense, as the Rangers will want to get him as much playing time as possible, preferably with players that can also score. Given that it’s David Quinn, don’t be surprised if Kravtsov gets time on the fourth line as well.
This would move two of the aforementioned trio out of the lineup. The best case scenario is moving Blackwell to center and sitting Brett Howden, but let’s stick to reality here. The Rangers would likely have some kind of rotation between that trio on RW for the rest of the season.
Kravtsov adds a skill level at 3RW that the Rangers haven’t really had all season. When Artemi Panarin comes back, it gives the Rangers a very dangerous third line with Chytil as the center. The Rangers really haven’t had three scoring lines all year. This is the kind of depth that wins Stanley Cups.
Powerplay Minutes
Getting Kravtsov powerplay minutes is going to be difficult. There is only one powerplay spot up for grabs at the moment, and that is Brendan Lemieux’s spot on PP2. It’s safe to assume Panarin’s return will claim that spot, with some juggling of course.
Maybe Kravtsov usurps Ryan Strome’s spot on the powerplay? Strome has been great for the Rangers all year, but he’s been struggling a bit on the powerplay. Some of that may be due to misuse, since PP1 is overwhelmed with right-handed shots.
Finding a spot for him on the powerplay is going to be a challenge, but it’s a good problem to have. When fully healthy, the Rangers will have nine very skilled forwards, all of which could be weapons with the man advantage. The only way all nine get a spot on the powerplay is if the Rangers go with one five-forward unit.
Just Get Him Minutes
This is the overall conclusion here, as the Rangers need to just find minutes for him. He’s either a part of the long-term future, or he’s part of a trade package for Jack Eichel. Either way, finding a role for Vitali Kravtsov is going to be on David Quinn and the coaching staff. The kid will need minutes –assuming he earns them, of course– to show he belongs. Or to strengthen that trade value.
Chart per Evolving-Hockey.com.
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