Vitali Kravtsov and Denis Gurianov: the same battle

In recent months, many Canadiens fans wanted to see the Flannel get their hands on a guy like Vitali Kravtsov. After all, Jeff Gorton knows him well, and he was a guy who wasn’t going to be traded from New York at a high price.

The famous buy low, sell high was a possibility.

In the end, the Canucks got their hands on the forward in return for the services of William Lockwood (who is well known to his family) and a coveted seventh-round pick in 2026.

In 16 games in Vancouver, Kravtsov had one goal and one assist. And now he’s on his way to Russia on the terms of a two-year contract. I don’t expect to see him back in North America anytime soon.

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The whole thing reminds me a lot of Denis Gurianov on the Habs. Why?

Because the Habs, instead of taking a chance on the Rangers’ former first choice, took a similar chance on the Stars’ former first choice… and it didn’t exactly work out.

There’s still a world out there where the Habs could decide to keep Gurianov, but the odds of Kent Hughes not making him a qualifying offer are still high right now.

The Russian player could, as we know, become a UFA at the end of the season. Seeing him sign in Russia, as Kravtsov just did, is far from a far-fetched scenario.

We’re talking about two guys who were traded for very little and, in the end, didn’t exactly manage to become indispensable players in their new organization.

Let’s not forget that the Canadiens gave away Evgenii Dadonov to get Gurianov. And even though Dadonov revived his career in Texas, the fact remains that in Montreal, he had no real market value.

In my eyes, as long as you’re getting a distant pick against Dadonov, a guy who was with the Habs simply to get Shea Weber’s contract off the books, Kent Hughes did well to take a chance.

And just because the Stars have the upper hand in the deal doesn’t mean the whole thing should be considered a failure. After all, whether it’s Gurianov or Kravtsov, picking up a guy in that mold is a risk.

In gusts

– One to watch.

– Well done.

– Bummer.

– Sylvain Lefebvre is where he belongs in Florida. [BPM Sports]

– All in good time.

Touted as Patrick Roy’s successor for next season, Simon Gagné prefers to focus on the Memorial Cup before talking about his future. 🏆

For the interviewcomplet⬇️https://t.co/jdU78yoIG0 pic.twitter.com/NbEiFGZxap

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) May 23, 2023