Canucks' Kravtsov Has Heavy Interest By Many Other Teams

Vitaly Kravtsov is returning to North America after establishing himself in the KHL for the past two seasons and proving he has enough talent to be an everyday impactful NHLer. Originally drafted ninth overall in 2018 by the New York Rangers, he found himself on the Vancouver Canucks at the end of the 2022-23 season.

He only has 64 NHL games and six goals and 12 points to go along with that. It was looking very much like he is a bust of a first-round pick and that sentiment will remain that way until he proves otherwise, possibly this season.

The KHL isn't an easy league and ranked the second best in the world, so scoring 18 goals and 34 points in 55 games before finishing last season with 27 goals and 58 points in 66 games says a lot. Kravtsov finished sixth in league scoring last season and it warranted another look in the NHL. The Canucks signed the 25-year-old to a one-year, $775,000 AAV deal on August 5.

According to Thomas Drance, "There was a fair bit of interest in Kravtsov expressed by rival teams around the NHL before the Canucks signed him. If he were to hit waivers ahead of the season, he'd be at a high risk of being claimed." Whether it's a contender or any other team with weaker depth, there isn't a specific projected place in the standings that would attract a young player like Kravtsov with more confidence in his game than he has had before.

Some teams with questionable depth that I would predict still have interest and might claim Kravtsov is he were to hit waivers are the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, LA Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Utah Mammoth, and Winnipeg Jets.