Vancouver Canucks Make Trade for Vitali Kravtsov – What to Expect from the Young Winger

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The Vancouver Canucks have made yet another trade upon Friday’s Trade Deadline. This time, it’s a trade with another New York team, but this time it’s the Rangers and not the Islanders.

The Canucks have acquired yet another young prospect from a New York-based team. This time around, it’s Russian winger, Vitali Kravtsov.

First, let’s dissect the trade at face value. The Canucks receive 23-year-old Russian winger Vitali Kravtsov; the Rangers receive 24-year-old Will Lockwood and a 2026 7th-round pick. 

Now as we look deeper into this trade, this is looking more like a win for the Canucks than the Rangers. The Rangers have been trying to trade Kravtsov for a while now, but the Rangers’ asking price was way too high, but you can’t blame the Rangers for trying to get a big return for him. After all, he is a former 9th overall pick back in the 2018 NHL draft.

There’s also a lot to like about his frame too, as he is 6’3 and 186 Ibs. Although his production hasn’t screamed 9th overall pick, it’s way too early to give up on him. I feel he just needed a change of scenery, as Kravtsov has been in trade rumors for around a year now. Additionally, with the Rangers going all-in for the playoffs this year, they don’t really need a young forward in Kravtsov, as it’s rumored they moved him for so little to make room for Chicago Blackhawks superstar, Patrick Kane.

So for the Canucks, they make a low-risk, high-reward move. They get a young, once highly-touted prospect who desperately needed a change of scenery. He also joins a group that already has 2 Russians on the team in Vasily Podkolzin and Andrei Kuzmenko. The Canucks also have Russian coach Sergei Gonchar on the team too to make Kravtsov feel more at home.

This trade helps the Canucks and their rebuild (we don’t use the word “retool” anymore). Getting a young prospect for very little is an absolute win for the Canucks and their General Manager, Patrik Allvin.

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