Top prospect Vitali Kravtsov made the decision to utilize his European Assignment clause, opting to return to Trakor Chelyabinsk of the KHL rather than remaining with the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. The decision has ignited a firestorm of opinions and takes on Kravtsov, the Rangers, and rebuilding philosophies. There are a lot of assertions flying around that are, shall we say, less than fully informed. A lot of people seem to believe there are very simple explanations for what is truly an esoteric situation.
While the Rangers’ roster makeup is a complicated mess with many points of contention, it’s hard to make a convincing argument that Kravtsov particularly made a preseason case for starting the season in the NHL.