GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Talking to reporters after his first on-ice session at the Rangers Prospect Camp Monday, forward Vitali Kravtsov left the distinct impression that if it is up to him, he would choose to come to North America this fall, rather than wait till his contract in the KHL expires after next season.
“I will do everything I can to play as soon as I can,’’ Kravtsov said through translator Nickolai Bobrov, the Rangers’ Director of European Scouting.
Kravtsov, 18, who was the first of the Rangers’ three first-round picks Friday in Dallas, has the option to buy out the last year of his KHL contract, and Rangers GM Jeff Gorton said he will speak with Kravtsov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, when he visits the Rangers’ practice facility later this week.