How close is the return of Filip Chytil for Rangers?

New York Rangers injured center Filip Chytil is back from Czechia and inching closer to a return. Earlier this week, coach Peter Laviolette provided a brief update on his status.

“He’s back and he’s progressing and our doctors will let us know when he’s cleared,” Laviolette revealed. said. “But no timeline.”

The 24-year-old was injured on an open ice hit by Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast on Nov. 2. A play where Fast seemed to get the worst of it after bouncing off a still standing Chytil. Despite the former Blueshirt sitting at center ice on his rear, it was Chytil that started to feel the effects of what many suspected to be a concussion and left the game.

New York’s first-round pick from 2017 hasn’t played since and sits with just six assists in 10 games to date.

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When will Filip Chytil return?

filip chytil
Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

In the latest episode of the Forever Blueshirts Show, NY Post reporter Larry Brooks provided his insights on the situation.

“I would expect that he will be cleared for full contact within a fairly short time,” Brooks noted. “I would expect him to start skating with the team coming out of the All Star Break. The quicker the better for everybody’s sake.”

NHL All-Star Weekend will run from February 1st to the 3rd, so we could see Filip Chytil back at practice relatively soon. Just before heading back to New York, he posted an Instagram photo with an NHL legend. Jaromir Jagr was all smiles in the snapshot and Chytil wrote “special practice today” as the caption.

As far as what he went to Czechia for, Brooks believed it had more to do with his mental well-being since he was basically isolated from the team skating on his own. His trainer noted on Instagram that before they did any on-ice conditioning work, they focused on cerebellum drills, vestibular system drills, and more.

“We used many tools off-ice. Aerobic work, proprioception drills, frontal lobe and cerebellum drills, vestibular system drills, visual drills, strengthening(sp) small muscles before we got back to strength and power training.”

IG: kondicni_trener_chytil

Hopefully the trip home and working with his personal trainer is exactly what Chytil needed to get back to 100%.

Anthony Scultore is the founder of Forever Blueshirts and has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL ... More about Anthony Scultore
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