The New York Rangers have a handful of teams interested in Vitali Kravtsov. There’s been a lot written and said regarding this situation, but teams are doing their due diligence on acquiring the disgruntled prospect.
Also, Morgan Barron played a tough game in Nashville. He finished the game with 9:18 TOI and won two out of three face-offs taken. So far, he’s shown the right attitude and could stick around.
Let’s dive into the latest happenings around the Blueshirts.
Teams doing due diligence on Rangers’ Kravtsov
The latest reports have stemmed that anywhere between 5 to 15 teams are in on Kravtsov depending on which insider you believe. Forever Blueshirts was told last weekend that there were three teams with serious interest.
Erik Duhatschek of The Athletic spoke with a GM to outline the next steps. They are as follows:
- Teams will consult with their internal scouting department to review reports
- Consult with their head of European scouting to look for other red flags
- Then determine what the organization would give up
- Assess what fair market value will be
While these steps are clear, the X-factor is going to be Chris Drury. If you read last night’s post, Drury’s reputation in dealing with players who want out doesn’t bode well for a speedy deal.
Morgan Barron has the right attitude
In his brief 5 game stint with the big club at the end of last year, he scored a goal in 13:41 of average ice time. Barron, picked up no points in 4 preseason games this year, went down to Hartford, scored twice and is now back. The sixth round pick from 2017 has earned this opportunity.
There was no sulking or complaining from 22 year-old center when he was sent to the Wolf Pack. It was quite the contrary if you want to compare it to the situation going on the Vitali Kravtsov.
“Of course it’s disappointing,” Barron admitted about being sent down. “I want to be in the NHL as soon as possible just like anyone else. Look at Kevin Rooney, it took him quite awhile compared to first round picks but he kept doing the work and he’s in the lineup every night. [Rooney] is one of the guys in the dressing room I can look at who did it the right way.”
When he was with the Pack, he simply focused on doing the things he knew would get him back to the NHL.
“You know in the back of your mind things can chance but that’s not the most productive way to think about it for me,” Barron said. “I was just trying to get better because there’s things you can work on.”
“You get a sense for how the team wants to play,” he said. “Watching the first few games there was an emphasis on getting pucks lows and scoring those grittier goals. To me that was my emphasis down there was to get to the net a little bit more. Coupling that with playing in all situations was the benefits of going to Hartford.”
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