Vitali Kravtsov has a European Assignment Clause in his Entry Level Contract with the New York Rangers. That means he can return to Europe to play if he desires, but he is still under contract to the Rangers and can return to play in the NHL if the Rangers want him to when the KHL season ends. In essence he would be on loan to the KHL.
When Kravtsov was sent to Hartford, the rumblings began and were intensified when he was a healthy scratch in the team’s second game. Shortly after that the speculation began.
The timeline
Monday, September 30 – Vitali Kravtsov sent to Hartford as one of the final roster cuts before the regular season.