Vancouver Canucks forward Vitali Kravtsov.

Photo credit: Bob Frid – USA TODAY Sports

An NHL insider says that the Vancouver Canucks could potentially run the risk of
losing a recently signed forward and ex-first round pick at the end of training camp.

The Vancouver Canucks announced earlier this summer that after two years abroad in the KHL, Vitali Kravtsov is returning to the NHL, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the club worth the league minimum of $775,000 USD.”Vitali had a strong season in the KHL and was an impact player for his team. In his two seasons in Russia, he has worked hard on his game, and we look forward to seeing where Vitali is at when he comes to training camp in Penticton.” Patrik Allvin said.
The decision to bring Vitali Kravtsov back to North America was applauded by many recently, however, with the Russian forward needing waivers in order to be assigned to the AHL, it could lead to a tough situation later on in training camp.

Insider says Vancouver Canucks could lose recently signed forward at end of training camp

In an article for The Athletic this week, insider Thomas Drance revealed that before the Vancouver Canucks brought Vitali Kravtsov back, there were other NHL teams with interest in him after he put up 58 points in 66 games with KHL club Traktor Chelyabinsk.

Because the Canucks issued him a qualifying offer in the summer of 2023, they retained his rights, regardless of how long he was in Russia for, which would’ve then required interested teams to try and acquire him from Vancouver this offseason.

Drance added that if Kravtsov is unable to crack Vancouver’s roster out of camp in early October, he’ll have to be placed on waivers and given the interest in him this summer, the Canucks believe there would be a pretty good chance he would get claimed by another club.

“That said, there was a fair bit of interest in Kravtsov expressed by rival teams around the NHL before the Canucks signed him. Internally, the club seems to believe there’s enough interest from other corners of the league that if he were to hit waivers ahead of the season, he’d be at high risk of being claimed.” Drance said.

To make the situation less complicated, the Vancouver Canucks are hoping that Kravtsov will show up to camp ready to go and motivated with a new opportunity to play in the National Hockey League right in front of him.

Vancouver Canucks fans should expect to see a lot of Vitali Kravtsov during the preseason, with the possibility he could even suit up in all six of their games so the coaching and management staffs get the full picture before deciding on whether to have him on the opening night roster or subject him to the NHL’s waiver wire.

Previously on CanucksDaily

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Vancouver Canucks Potentially Losing New Forward at the End of Camp Just Two Weeks After Signing Him

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