Traktor Chelyabinsk Eliminated from KHL Playoffs, Kravtsov Watch Begins
With his KHL team eliminated from the playoffs, the former 9th overall pick can make his way to New York
After a 3-2 loss to Salavat Yulaev, Traktor Chelyabinsk was eliminated from the 1st round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs in five games.
Salavat Yulaev eliminates Traktor, heads to Eastern Second Round! #GagarinCup pic.twitter.com/p6nfRA4k0a
— KHL (@khl_eng) March 11, 2021
Now what this means for the New York Rangers is that Vitali Kravtsov’s season has come to an end and he is free to head to North America and join the Blueshirts lineup. The 2018 9th overall pick had his sights set on cracking the NHL roster this season before the pandemic hit and forced him back to Russia and his KHL club. The 21 year old forward put up 16 goals and 24 points in 49 games with Traktor during the regular season while adding 2 goals and 5 points in his short postseason stint. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that Kravtsov won’t be joining the Rangers roster right away. Not only does he have to get to New York but once he gets here, Kravtsov needs to quarantine for 10 to 14 days before he can join the team on-ice.
For those who have asked, I’ve been told to anticipate a 10-14 day transition for Vitali Kravtsov from the time Traktor is eliminated until he can start practicing with #NYR. That accounts for travel, quarantine, COVID protocols, etc. (Also discussed on this week’s pod.)
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) March 11, 2021
It took a little while to get there, but Kravtsov watch is officially on and for a team that needs offensive support, he can only help.