


Vitali Kravtsov finally got his wish.
The Rangers traded away the unhappy 23-year-old, who had requested to move on from Broadway. The Blueshirts announced they sent the winger to the Vancouver Canucks for forward William Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick on Saturday, days before the March 3 NHL trade deadline.
Kravtsov had three goals and three assists in 28 games for the Rangers this season. The first-round pick in 2018 had been scratched the past seven games and just didn’t seem to fit into the team’s plans this season. Lockwood, 24, has one assist in 13 games for Vancouver this season. He had 12 goals and six assists in 26 games this season with Abbotsford of the AHL.
The trade, along with waiving Jake Leschyshyn, frees up the necessary cap space for the Rangers to potentially acquire Blackhawks star Patrick Kane before the deadline.