The Canucks are in danger of losing Vitali Kravtsov if he's placed on waivers, as NHL insider Thomas Drance revealed there was heavy interest from some rival teams. The <a href='https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6560879/2025/08/19/vancouver-canucks-centre-roslovic-kravtsov/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'> Vancouver Canucks recently came to terms with forward Vitali Kravtsov on a one-year veteran minimum contract</a> with a respectable AHL salary of $450,000 if he's sent down. <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl/news/Trade-alert-Vitali-Kravstov-has-been-traded' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Acquired in February 2023 as a low-risk move</a>, Vitali Kravtsov featured for just 16 contests with Vancouver before he returned to the KHL during that summer. Though they extended a qualifying offer to try to maintain his NHL rights, they did not try very hard to keep him. A former ninth overall 2018 New York Rangers draft pick, Kravtsov arrived with a size-and-skill label and questions about whether those building blocks would eventually equate to NHL-level production on the ice. His tenure as a member of the Vancouver Canucks so far has left observers wondering where that elite level is. Since then, however, he seems to have discovered his stride outside of North America at the age of 25. Last season playing in the KHL, he finished sixth in league scoring with 27 goals and 58 points in 66 contests. Those are respectable numbers, though others that were on the leaderboard have struggled to stay within the NHL, which tempers expectations. <h3>Kravtsov's Latest Contract Does not Allow him to Play in Europe</h3> Kravtsov's new contract doesn't include an out to Europe, so he'll be staying with the organization, no matter if he gets onto the NHL roster or is sent to the AHL. According to a recent report by NHL insider Thomas Drance, other clubs have had a heavy interest in Kravtsov, so the belief is that he'd be likely to be picked up on waivers if the Canucks placed him there. There was a fair bit of interest in Kravtsov expressed by rival teams around the NHL before the Canucks signed him; if he were to hit waivers ahead of the season, he'd be at high risk of being claimed. - Thomas Drance <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHLRumourReport/status/1958195321667993881'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> With 14 forwards already under one-way contracts and Arshdeep Bains battling for the final spot, though, Kravtsov is definitely at a disadvantage heading into camp. There is some positive to his return, however, and he will need to prove that he can keep himself on the Canucks NHL roster this time around, or he may just be pulling over a rival team's jersey.