It should be an exciting night for New York Rangers fans as they will get their first look at top prospect Vitali Kravtsov in a regular season NHL game.
The No. 9 overall pick from the 2018 NHL draft will make his debut when the team plays the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night, adding another prized young prospect to the roster.
Kravtsov has been practicing with the team for a couple of weeks now and is finally going to get his first chance to draw into the lineup. The Rangers recently traded veteran forward Brendan Lemieux to help clear a path for the talented winger.
Tonight:
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 3, 2021
It’s showtime. ✨ pic.twitter.com/0Kn8WDU5O7
He scored a team-leading 16 goals in the KHL this season.
With Kravtsov making his debut, a significant part of the Rangers’ future is now on display with him, and recent top picks Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere all on the roster together. Add in an emerging Norris Trophy contender in Adam Fox and there is some serious young talent for the Rangers to build around.
The Rangers are 10-6-1 since March 1 and are trying to play their way back into playoff contention in the East Division. They enter play on Saturday five points behind the Boston Bruins.
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.