The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year, two-way contract. General manager Patrik Allvin made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

Kravstov, 25, last NHL games were played as a member of the Canucks at the end of the 2022-23 season following a trade from the New York Rangers. Kravtsov spent last season with Chelyabinsk Traktor in the KHL, where he put up 27 goals and 31 assists through 66 games played. His 58 points ranked sixth in KHL scoring last season.

“Vitali had a strong season in the KHL and was an impact player for his team,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin via a statement. “In his two seasons in Russia, he has worked hard on his game, and we look forward to seeing where Vitali is at when he comes to training camp in Penticton.”

Kravtsov’s agent Dan Milstein confirmed the deal to CanucksArmy, adding that Kravtsov informed him of the decision to come back to Vancouver today and that the Canucks were very excited to get this deal done.

While the Canucks’ forward corps is fairly busy, they are set to have some interesting battles for final roster spots, and you can now throw Kravtsov’s name into the mix of players who could fill out the NHL roster. If Kravtsov doesn’t crack the Canucks’ NHL lineup, he should be able to help out plenty with the Abbotsford Canucks, who are coming off a Calder Cup Championship and should see at least a couple of players graduate to the big club this season.

According to Rick Dhaliwal, Kravtsov’s contract has an NHL cap hit of $750,000 and a minors salary of $450,000.

As we always feel the need to do whenever a two-way contract is signed, here is a brief explanation of what a two-way contract actually is. While EA Sports did a great job of making everyone thinking two-way contracts have anything to do with waiver eligibility, they really don’t. In reality, a two-way contract means that there are two agreed-upon dollar amounts between the team and player for what the player should be paid if he’s in the NHL or if he’s in the AHL. For example, while Kravtsov will have an NHL salary (and cap hit) of $750,000, his new salary (prorated) in the minors will be $450,000.

Kravtsov was originally selected ninth overall by the Rangers at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers traded Kravtsov to the Canucks back in February 2023, receiving Will Lockwood and a 2026 seventh round pick in return. Kravtsov has tallied six goals and six assists through 64 NHL games.

What are your thoughts on this deal? Let us know in the comments section below!