Tribute Vitali Kravtsov <3

[TominNC]

Watch the video man there is plenty of NHL highlights in it lol, and it's from a very small sample size as it was made prior to this season. C'mon man you can't watch that video and tell me he has no skill, creativity, hands, etc. He definitely has plenty of untapped offensive potential, coupled with an already very solid defensive game. If you take away his draft pedigree & upside he's already the type of player people would be clamoring for to add to their bottom 6 lol, I'd rather take a great defensive player who has a chance of breaking out offensively over a great defensive player who's already hit their ceiling

He's skating around guys who aren't looking to put a body on him. In the NHL he gets knocked on his ass when he does that. I don't care what he did in the KHL. He gets pushed around here.

I'm sure someone could put together a nice clip of Kravy getting knocked over repeatedly too

 

[failure]

That's the Rangers mindset, crappy skaters who look like they're trying hard and doin stuff lol. Kravtsov is a fluid effortless skater who's really tall with long strides, so he can look "lazier" while covering more ice than subpar skaters with choppy strides. His stick is very active and he is almost always the first forward back on the backcheck, before the center. And the first forward in on the forecheck. He just looks so graceful doing it because of his appreciation for the aesthetics of the sport, and the fact he's very long with efficient strides

I guess that I can see that yeah. Nash was the same in a way. Never looked like he was scrambling but definitely was no slouch.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

That's not the NHL.

Zuccarello came over at age 23. Only had SHL highlights at the time. Didn't become an NHL regular until he was 26.

Look, I understand the point you're trying to make but "That's not the NHL" seems like a stupid response to a highlight reel video for a player who hasn't even played a full season in the NHL. That argument can be made for every player during their first full season.

 

[haohmaru]

I think the main hang up teams have is the perceived character issues and red flags popping up because of the fact we keep scratching him, his analytics are great across the board from every single source; its weird.

That's part of it, but that's also part of why I argued way back when what a poor decision it was (twice) and why this trade request is just as dumb. Whoever is advising him should be fired on the spot. This guy has NHL potential for sure but his reputation, created by him and whoever is guiding him, is now impeding him from succeeding and ended up hurting himself and the Rangers - just like I said years ago.

I would've advised him for free and he would've gotten better results.

 

[Crease]

The Rangers want their forward prospects to strive for the Selke, not the Hart. It's dumb but whatever. They put these guys on the third line and tell them if they turnover the puck trying to make a play, it's fourth line or skybox next. Took five years but Chytil and Kakko are now all-situations forwards who are pacing 50-60 points in their early 20s. Laf is on the same trajectory. The book is still out on Kravtsov. I guess we'll see what it ultimately means long-term, but I doubt we'll ever see any of these guys hit 80-100 points. They can PK though, so that's something...

 

[Riche16]

The Rangers want their forward prospects to strive for the Selke, not the Hart. It's dumb but whatever. They put these guys on the third line and tell them if they turnover the puck trying to make a play, it's fourth line or skybox next. Took five years but Chytil and Kakko are now all-situations forwards who are pacing 50-60 points in their early 20s. Laf is on the same trajectory. The book is still out on Kravtsov. I guess we'll see what it ultimately means long-term, but I doubt we'll ever see any of these guys hit 80-100 points. They can PK though, so that's something...

Agree & know there's a happy medium there somewhere.

Like yeah, 'don't make stupid mistakes & blind dumb giveaways (like a certain #10) but try to score plz'

 

[bhamill]

He's a rookie lol, just because he hasn't produced much in his first 48 NHL games doesn't mean he won't in the future. Look at the hands he has, the creativity, the shot, the vision, etc:

He was billed as a one dimensional prototypical Russian forward who was all flash and a complete disregard for play without the puck, but he's already playing great defensively as a rookie. I think he's been forced to play too safe which has stifled his offense

In my mind all Krav needs in order to be an effective two way NHLer, and perhaps more, is man strength and some muscle mass. That issue is highly fixable, it just is not easily fixable IN season. If he makes the commitment in the off season he’ll take the sort of step the other kids are taking. I honestly believe it’s the only thing he is lacking at this point. The kid has worked hard on the D side of the game and works on his O as well. He just doesn’t have the mass and strength to play the NHL game yet. There’s no way Drury doesn’t see this so I doubt he sells low on him.

 

[LyNX27]

In my mind all Krav needs in order to be an effective two way NHLer, and perhaps more, is man strength and some muscle mass. That issue is highly fixable, it just is not easily fixable IN season. If he makes the commitment in the off season he’ll take the sort of step the other kids are taking. I honestly believe it’s the only thing he is lacking at this point. The kid has worked hard on the D side of the game and works on his O as well. He just doesn’t have the mass and strength to play the NHL game yet. There’s no way Drury doesn’t see this so I doubt he sells low on him.

I've been rooting for him for a long time, and I think you're right, but only to a point... It's hard to imagine him developing muscle when he only plays 10 minutes a night. He better be slamming weights around the room in-between game days with all that extra energy from not playing. Additionally, he still clearly has an issue with the size of the ice.

He has less time than on KHL ice, and the space around him closes down quicker than he's used to. The fact that he was unwilling to do time in the AHL to figure this out is on him and whoever is advising him. If he was .7ppg in Hartford with great flashes of talent, he'd be developing well, we'd give him a good long look when we eventually bring him up, and we'd better understand where/how he fits.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, he decided to be a baby and force our hand, allowing him an average of 10min TOI per game on a team pushing for the playoff (and a possible deep cup run) instead of the 18-20 he should be getting leading Hartford offensively.

He's not replacing Panarin, Zibby, Trocheck, Kreider, Chytil, Kakko, or LaF while we're making a playoff push (unless we get bitten by injuries), so he's wasting his own development and our roster spot.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Pain

 

[Mandar]

Pain

 

[TominNC]

Zuccarello came over at age 23. Only had SHL highlights at the time. Didn't become an NHL regular until he was 26.

Look, I understand the point you're trying to make but "That's not the NHL" seems like a stupid response to a highlight reel video for a player who hasn't even played a full season in the NHL. That argument can be made for every player during their first full season.

I’m stupid but NHL professionals aren’t impressed enough either.

Personally I’m not sure if I want to side with fanboys gushing over selected videos

 

[Ruggs225]

Good to see he is putting in the work.

I do hope we keep him and he puts on some weight this offseason. I would hate if we trade him for peanuts and he becomes another Buch

 

[duhmetreE]

Pain

how many times did he miss the net? impressive

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I’m stupid but NHL professionals aren’t impressed enough either.

Personally I’m not sure if I want to side with fanboys gushing over selected videos

I never said you have to. Just saying that your initial response isn't really a great way to get your point across.

 

[Daves a mess]

I never said you have to. Just saying that your initial response isn't really a great way to get your point across.

Seemed fine to me.

 

[eco's bones]

In my mind all Krav needs in order to be an effective two way NHLer, and perhaps more, is man strength and some muscle mass. That issue is highly fixable, it just is not easily fixable IN season. If he makes the commitment in the off season he’ll take the sort of step the other kids are taking. I honestly believe it’s the only thing he is lacking at this point. The kid has worked hard on the D side of the game and works on his O as well. He just doesn’t have the mass and strength to play the NHL game yet. There’s no way Drury doesn’t see this so I doubt he sells low on him.

I agree with much of this. Building his core strength should help him in the mental part of the game too. He's got the skill to deke past players but that's not a skill that even the best players can rely on all the time. You've got to be able to get hit, bang bodies, win 50/50 pucks. He's 6'3/6'4 and this shouldn't be a big difficulty and won't be in the future if he pays more attention in the off seasons to come to work on his physical strength. As far as his defensive play I don't think he's amazing but I think it's good enough now and should get better in the future......if he sticks it out anyway. I don't think that sticking it out is going to happen with us though. To me he's not all that prepared for regular season NHL hockey and definitely not for NHL playoff hockey where things are just going to ramp up.

IMO he's not got enough to be a NHL 1st line winger. His production numbers from year to year always have underwhelmed his skills. It happens. Kreider and JT are examples of guys who took years and years to really become guys I could even think of in that kind of context. There's no reason why though if Vitali puts the work in that he can't be a good 2nd line winger. But really most of this is up to him.

 

[Peltz]

Zuccarello came over at age 23. Only had SHL highlights at the time. Didn't become an NHL regular until he was 26.

Look, I understand the point you're trying to make but "That's not the NHL" seems like a stupid response to a highlight reel video for a player who hasn't even played a full season in the NHL. That argument can be made for every player during their first full season.

The difference is that Zucc came to a team that sucked at putting up goals - so there was room for him to rotate into the roster.

Kravstov may turn into another Zucc (nothing is guaranteed) but this is a stacked team that is looking to win a Stanley Cup this year or next with a bunch of forwards his age or younger that are further along in their development. There's just no room for him on the team and no time for him to "figure it out". In a month, this team will be in the playoffs (barring a total collapse), in the most stacked conference I can ever remember.

Krav doesn't score enough goals or finish enough checks when not scoring to play in the top 9, and he's not suited to playing on the fourth line at all.

It really doesn't matter what he may bring a few years from now. We'll already have enough cap trouble locking up our current roster of NHL players who will need contracts.

 

[NickyFotiu]

For weeks this board had a strange Krav is better than Jake discussion. Would be ironic if both were gone. If Krav stays I would still encourage him to go down to the AHL.

 

[nyr2k2]

Zuccarello came over at age 23. Only had SHL highlights at the time. Didn't become an NHL regular until he was 26.

Look, I understand the point you're trying to make but "That's not the NHL" seems like a stupid response to a highlight reel video for a player who hasn't even played a full season in the NHL. That argument can be made for every player during their first full season.

I would counter that a highlight video of a guy not in the NHL is not a good argument for why a guy will make it in the NHL.

 

[mrmovies779]

Someone close all the windows in jovo's house and keep an eye on him...something is going down with Krav

 

[17futurecap]

 

[nyr2k2]

Out tonight for roster management? LOL that's an interesting way of phrasing it. What is up with teams lately announcing that guys are sitting because the team is trying to move them? I mean I'm fine with it, it just seems like a new phenomenon.

 

[Kravtsov420]

Edjovo on Kravicide watch

 

[Peltz]

Out tonight for roster management? LOL that's an interesting way of phrasing it. What is up with teams lately announcing that guys are sitting because the team is trying to move them? I mean I'm fine with it, it just seems like a new phenomenon.

Just call them a “healthy scratch” and do what you’re going to do rather than “roster management”

 

[nyr2k2]

Just call them a “healthy scratch” and do what you’re going to do rather than “roster management”

Yeah that's what we've been conditioned to expect over the years, we all know what it means.