Connect with us

NHL News

Canucks Trade Lockwood & Pick for Vitali Kravtsov From Rangers

The Vancouver Canucks trade for F Vitali Kravtsov from the New York Rangers in exchange for F William Lockwood and a 2026 7th round pick.

As per the Vancouver Canucks Twitter feed: “GM Patrik Allvin announced today that the Vancouver Canucks have acquired F Vitali Kravtsov from the New York Rangers in exchange for F William Lockwood and a 7th round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft.” The Rangers have confirmed the deal by releasing a statement on their own social media account.

Kravtsov is a former first-round pick who was unhappy with the Rangers over the amount of playing time he was getting and had asked to be traded if there wasn’t a future for him in the organization. As the Rangers were trying to put the wheels in motion to acquire Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks — this trade is believed to be a precursor to that deal — it was fitting for the Canucks to move Kravtsov and his cap hit to another team. Kravtsov’s agent Dan Milstein said: “Vitaly is very happy going to the Canucks, he has always liked Vancouver, he has lots of friends on the team. He is super excited to get to VAN.”

Allvin said in a statement about the deal, “We are excited to add Vitali’s combination of size and skill to our group. ” He adds, “He is a smart player and a former first-round pick with a good set of skills. We look forward to welcoming him to Vancouver to continue developing his game with our coaching staff.”

For the Canucks, a rebuilding team, they are betting on Kravtsov to succeed in an environment with other Russian players in a scoring role. GM Patrik Allvin showed patience with a player like Ethan Bear and got him for a 5th rounder. he’s worked well for the Canucks. Perhaps Allvin can find another nugget of gold in a Kravtsov deal where he only has to give up a 7th-round pick and a minor-league energy player in Lockwood.

According to PuckPedia, after trading Kravtsov ($875K) the Rangers have $433K in projected cap space, which can fit $1.67 million in annual cap hit today. If Leschyshyn ($767K) is sent down tomorrow, the Rangers can fit Kane @ $2.625 million on March 1. The alternative would be sending another player to Chicago in the trade and clearing out salary that way.

Next: Blues Claim Kasperi Kapanen Off Waivers From Penguins

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Pingback: The Rangers Acquire Patrick Kane in a Win-Now Bargain | Gems Hockey

Leave a Reply

More News

Discover more from NHL Trade Talk

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading