When the New York Rangers selected Vitali Kravtsov ninth overall, they weren’t sure when he was going to join the team. He has one year remaining on his KHL contract, but he had an option to buy himself out of it.
After his representatives discussed the situation with Jeff Gorton and company, the decision was reached to have him play out his final season with Traktor Chelyabinsk. However, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, Kravtsov still intends to play in North America at some point during the season.