When the New York Rangers acquired defensive prospect Yegor Rykov from New Jersey, it bolstered an already strong group of young defensemen in the Rangers system. Rykov was considered to already be NHL ready, but had one more year remaining on his contract in the KHL.
As a member of SKA St. Petersburg, one of the premier teams in the KHL, Rykov had a terrific 2017-18 season. He scored two goals and 12 assists in 52 games; this may not look impressive on the surface, but for a 20 year old on one of the deepest teams in the league, simply playing at all was impressive.