Canucks acquire former top-10 pick Kravtsov from Rangers

The Vancouver Canucks acquired forward Vitaly Kravtsov from the New York Rangers on Saturday for forward William Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round pick.

The Rangers drafted Kravtsov ninth overall in 2018. He has six points in 28 NHL games this season.

Kravtsov had a tumultuous tenure in New York. He requested a trade in Nov. 2021 and was subsequently loaned to the KHL. Kravtsov returned to the Rangers this season but struggled to gain minutes. He again requested a trade earlier this month.

The 23-year-old has an $875,000 cap hit and is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

"Vitaly is very happy going to the Canucks, he has always liked Vancouver, he has lots of friends on the team," Kravtsov's agent Dan Milstein said, according to CHEK News' Rick Dhaliwal.

Kravtsov won bronze at the 2019 World Juniors with Russia alongside Vasily Podkolzin, his new teammate in Vancouver.

Lockwood played 13 games with the Canucks in 2022-23, tallying one assist. The 24-year-old has 12 goals and 18 points in 26 contests in the AHL. Vancouver selected the former Michigan Wolverine in the third round of the 2016 draft.

The trade gives the Rangers needed cap space to potentially target Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane. The 34-year-old was scratched for Saturday's contest against the San Jose Sharks due to roster management. New York would have enough cap space to add Kane come Mar. 1 should Jake Leschyshyn be dropped from the roster Sunday, according to PuckPedia.

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