The Rangers are making prospect Vitali Kravtsov available ahead of the Mar. 21 trade deadline, reports Elliotte Friedman of TSN.

Said Friedman:

"I’ve been told [Kravtsov] has been telling teams he plans on coming back to North America ... The other thing too is that he’s going to have to go on waivers. So it’s not like (an acquiring) team is going to send him down to the minors. They’re going to give him a shot to play."

The Rangers loaned Kravtsov to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL last Nov. 3, and they cannot trade him until the KHL season ends on Feb. 27.

There is a chance Kravtsov could come back and play for the Rangers, but multiple reports have pegged the chances of that as slim.

Before the decision to loan Kravtsov to the KHL, the Rangers gave him permission to seek a trade last Oct. 12 after he refused an AHL assignment following New York's decision to leave him off the opening night roster.

Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said at the time that Kravtsov's demotion to the AHL was the result of other players beating him out -- not because of anything Kravtsov did wrong.

After the Rangers gave Kravtsov permission to seek a trade, he returned to his home country of Russia.

Per The Athletic, Kravtsov was given a chance to impress while in the Toronto bubble, but during the Rangers' abbreviated playoff run, president and GM Chris Drury ripped him in practice for his lack of work ethic, and Kravtsov also missed a team bus to the rink.

Kravtsov, 21, was the ninth overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft.

He played in 20 games for the Rangers during the 2020-21 season, notching two goals and two assists.

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