Vitaly Kravtsov couldn’t prove last season that he deserved a place in the National Hockey League, so he decided to return to Russia one more time.
The 23-year-old forward is a restricted free agent and signed a two-year deal with Continental League’s Chelyabinsk Traktor on Monday, according to The Vancouver Province.
Kravtsov was the 2018 New York Rangers first-round pick (ninth overall). He played with the team’s farm in the American League in 2019-20 before returning to Traktor. He returned to the blueshirts the following season, then once again isolated himself for the entire 2021–2022 season.
The right winger picked up just six points in 28 games last year with Rangers, who traded him to the Vancouver Canucks in February. Kravtsov has just two points in 16 games in BC.
Head coach Rick Tocchet expected to see him back at training camp in the fall. The Canucks can still make him a qualifying offer to retain his rights.