Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft / Pick #9 - Vitali Kravtsov (RW) - Part V

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I would just love to know why.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

Every so often there is a group reaction to something that is so mind boggingly short sighted that it makes me...just I'm going to dial it back.

Look. We know that this kid played for a bum team in the KHL. Their offense was ATROCIOUS. Their team was a joke. NONE of us EVER talked about his neutral zone or defensive play outside of "Oh he backchecks well" which is about as useless and simple a platitude as you can throw a forwards way in terms of describing the rest of the game.

We don't talk about all the little things he does away from the puck. We don't talk about his communication with teammates. We don't know his off ice training and practice schedule. (buchnevich, while at supposedly one of the top K teams, had practically no clue what a barbell was).

The K is a joke. It has always been a joke. There was a push to pretend it's not a joke even after it got an entire team tragically killed in a plane crash and a teen tragically died directly because of the league's incompetence.

Even after it has been demonstrated repeatedly that there is a massive over emphasis on offensive skill and tragic under-emphasis on the rest of hockey in that league. A lot of guys are allowed to get away with a looot of shit. It's like the NCAA's: specifically any team coached by Urban Meyer. We know a ton of talented players are being allowed to coast through college academically so they can keep eligibility. Similarly, instead of having a gaping hole academically, a lot of KHL players are allowed to skate by with gaping holes in their complete game.

It's competitive, sure. Plenty of top offensive talents develop there, sure. That all doesn't matter much when the coaching is short sighted and negligent way too often. The structure of the league clearly has issues which is why it oftentimes struggles to gain favorable comparisons to the AHL and often draws comparisons to the ECHL.

So it should come as ZERO surprise that this kid might have some huge holes in the rest of his game. It should come as no surprise that the holes are so massive that he needs time to practice and process this entirely new style and system of hockey that is being taught in a language he doesn't fully grasp.

On TOP of that we literally saw that this is how Quinn manages struggling young players. He will sit them down, go over the holes in their game, scratch them if need be and then get them back out there when they're ready. So it is very possible that this is an organizational philosophy now. It is very possible that when they hired a brand new AHL coach they purposely hired one who was similar to Quinn in this regard.

I am baffled at how few people thought of any or all of this before flying off the handle over his 1 scratch

 

[Mac n Gs]

There's basically no benefit to sending Kravtsov back to one of the worst offensive and defensive teams in the KHL other than for him to be back near family. I'm not happy he sat either, but for f***s sake, it's one goddamn AHL game.

He's worked hard the entire summer to get stronger and improve his skill. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

And this is not a shot at AK but the guy is not a scouting guru, he's a fan who goes to a bunch of games in person. Being at games in person does not make any of us a pro scout otherwise season ticket holders would be nailing NHL trades left and right. I say this only because I think we get way too caught up in hype if AK has glowing reviews. There are some here who I think actually look at AK as the equivalent of a pro scout. That then contributes to the disappointment here.

Not only that but there's a bit of bias bc he gets to know these kids so it's only natural. He's not going to get signed jerseys and pucks only to come on here and trash the kids game up and down. I'll never forget the guy who went to all of Michael St. Croix's game and pumped him up as the second coming. We never got detailed scouting reports accompanied with videos or descriptions of the game. We got what amounted to scoring highlights. MSC was a bust

Similarly, AK saw the ton of talent dripping off of Kravtsov offensively and got us a lot of cool insider info/images. We were never getting detailed scouting reports though. And AK only saw this after the Rangers already drafted him. I got excited that he'd come in this season and be a top 6 fixture but I worried about his overall game. Now here we are.

Moral of the story. Pump the brakes folks, take it easy and let this kid/staff develop

 

[Hunter Gathers]

There's basically no benefit to sending Kravtsov back to one of the worst offensive and defensive teams in the KHL other than for him to be back near family. I'm not happy he sat either, but for ****s sake, it's one goddamn AHL game.

He's worked hard the entire summer to get stronger and improve his skill. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

But it's much more fun to complain.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

We are 2 games into the season. Let's not jump to any conclusions. One of the veterans they added has retired before the season started

. . . aren't you jumping to conclusions?

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

I would just love to know why.

I think we all would, and we’re all frustrated with it, but without any real information a lot of this feels like people are vastly overreacting

 

[JohnC]

Quite the reactions to a scratch in the *checks notes* second game of the season

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Quite the reactions to a scratch in the *checks notes* second game of the season

I heard that the coach in HFD put a hit out on him.

 

[Tawnos]

The best part of all this is that we don’t really know if he’s really healthy.

 

[Barnaby]

I’ll be worried if he’s a regular scratch in January... for now, it could be an injury, to make a point, or maybe give the kid a breather following Traverse, preseason etc... I’m sure it’s been a bit of a whirlwind - guys a kid playing in another country and speaking a new language...

 

[JimmyG89]

Transition into playing a NA style game, while keeping his creativity high will be best served in the AHL for now. There are flashes of brilliance from him and then he looks way out of his league. He's also 19 and needs minutes. Wouldn't look too much into the healthy scratch. Hartford appears to have a better roster than years past and I'm not sure how often KHL teams are playing back to backs.

Kind of wish he was eligible for the WJC, but he's a week short of being able to play. Would have probably went and dominated it. Could have gone straight from there back to NY, depending on his play.

As of now, we're probably re-evaluating him around Christmas to see if he's ready. An entire year in the AHL wouldn't be the worst thing for him, but it would also be below the expectations of the fanbase (which really doesn't matter).

Not to mention, but having all three Russians there probably will help them all adapt better. Now, they can't all get the call at the same time, unless there is a big roster changeover, but realistically, he could be the last one of them down there. Rykov and Shesterkin are older players, although the log jam in nets for now will keep Shesterkin down there for a while.

 

[JohnC]

I heard that the coach in HFD put a hit out on him.

Must work for the Clintons

 

[SA16]

Just wait for the reactions when Quinn inevitably healthy scratches Kakko at some point.

 

[kovazub94]

And this is not a shot at AK but the guy is not a scouting guru, he's a fan who goes to a bunch of games in person. Being at games in person does not make any of us a pro scout otherwise season ticket holders would be nailing NHL trades left and right. I say this only because I think we get way too caught up in hype if AK has glowing reviews. There are some here who I think actually look at AK as the equivalent of a pro scout. That then contributes to the disappointment here.

Not only that but there's a bit of bias bc he gets to know these kids so it's only natural. He's not going to get signed jerseys and pucks only to come on here and trash the kids game up and down. I'll never forget the guy who went to all of Michael St. Croix's game and pumped him up as the second coming. We never got detailed scouting reports accompanied with videos or descriptions of the game. We got what amounted to scoring highlights. MSC was a bust

Similarly, AK saw the ton of talent dripping off of Kravtsov offensively and got us a lot of cool insider info/images. We were never getting detailed scouting reports though. And AK only saw this after the Rangers already drafted him. I got excited that he'd come in this season and be a top 6 fixture but I worried about his overall game. Now here we are.

Moral of the story. Pump the brakes folks, take it easy and let this kid/staff develop

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Kravtsov has universally received glowing reports internally within the Rangers organization as well as externally from pro scouting community. @Amazing Kreiderman reports have been consistent with those (and I personally saw the same thing even if my view holds no pro weight whatsoever).

 

[Mugless]

Don't forget that he went down in a heap after colliding with Cizikas in the last pre-season game. Could be lingering issues.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

And this is not a shot at AK but the guy is not a scouting guru, he's a fan who goes to a bunch of games in person. Being at games in person does not make any of us a pro scout otherwise season ticket holders would be nailing NHL trades left and right. I say this only because I think we get way too caught up in hype if AK has glowing reviews. There are some here who I think actually look at AK as the equivalent of a pro scout. That then contributes to the disappointment here.

Not only that but there's a bit of bias bc he gets to know these kids so it's only natural. He's not going to get signed jerseys and pucks only to come on here and trash the kids game up and down. I'll never forget the guy who went to all of Michael St. Croix's game and pumped him up as the second coming. We never got detailed scouting reports accompanied with videos or descriptions of the game. We got what amounted to scoring highlights. MSC was a bust

Similarly, AK saw the ton of talent dripping off of Kravtsov offensively and got us a lot of cool insider info/images. We were never getting detailed scouting reports though. And AK only saw this after the Rangers already drafted him. I got excited that he'd come in this season and be a top 6 fixture but I worried about his overall game. Now here we are.

Moral of the story. Pump the brakes folks, take it easy and let this kid/staff develop

The number of times I had to tell people "I'm just a fan"... It's crazy haha.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Going back to the KHL makes no sense and would hurt his development. He clearly needs to adjust to the NA game and a smaller rink. Going back to the KHL just stalls his development long term.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Going back to the KHL makes no sense and would hurt his development. He clearly needs to adjust to the NA game and a smaller rink. Going back to the KHL just stalls his development long term.

Did it stall Kuznetsov's development? Or Tarasenko's?

 

[Riche16]

hes looking at flights home on his phone right now im sure.

If this is true he should book the flight right F-in now... because he doesn't have the mental tenacity to make it in the NHL

 

[kovazub94]

Did it stall Kuznetsov's development? Or Tarasenko's?

I don't know why you're trying to push this narrative. Yeah there's a theoretical possibility of Kravtsov going back to the K to continue his development there but is it a good bet for likely scenario? Not so much.

I also don't understand why you'd bring up Tarasenko or Kuznetsov. Did either of this two, or any other notable Russian NHLers, had a situation where they moved to NA to begin their transition to the NHL, only to stop mid-season and return back to the KHL?

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I don't know why you're trying to push this narrative. Yeah there's a theoretical possibility of Kravtsov going back to the K to continue his development there but is it a good bet for likely scenario? Not so much.

I also don't understand why you'd bring up Tarasenko or Kuznetsov. Did either of this two, or any other notable Russian NHLers, had a situation where they moved to NA to begin their transition to the NHL, only to stop mid-season and return back to the KHL?

I am talking about playing in the KHL not being good for the development of a player in general as some suggest. It is just not that simple

 

[Levitate]

he should stay in NA in the AHL

He was close to making the NHL team, they wanted him to get more minutes and adjust some more to the style of game, they said it's very likely that guys such as he and Chytil could be right back up soon. Leaving for the KHL cuts off that possibility and just guarantees he still has a lot of adjusting to do whenever he comes back.

Have some patience and realize the AHL isn't a bad thing for him right now, nor is it horrible that he was scratched for a game

 

[Crease]

I am talking about playing in the KHL not being good for the development of a player in general as some suggest. It is just not that simple

Seems to me the discussion is whether another full season in the KHL is good for Kravtsov's development when he was among last cuts in NHL training camp and the organization indicated they expect him back up sooner than later. Not "in general."

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Seems to me the discussion is whether another full season in the KHL is good for Kravtsov's development when he was among last cuts in NHL training camp and the organization indicated they expect him back up sooner than later. Not "in general."

Sure, it all depends on when he will get a call up. If he is in the AHL until late January/early February, I don't see the upside of staying in Hartford. But it's up to him in the end. He can decide what to do