‘Encouraging progress’ for ex-Rangers center Filip Chytil after latest injury
It doesn’t sound like Filip Chytil will play anytime soon for the Vancouver Canucks, but the former New York Rangers center is making positive strides after his latest scary injury.
Chytil hasn’t played since he was leveled by a Tom Wilson open-ice hit in the first period of Vancouver’s 4-3 road win against the Washington Capitals this past Sunday. The 26-year-old is on injured reserve with an unspecified issue. However, with his lengthy history of concussions, another head injury is feared.
“Obviously, [we’re going] through the protocols here. He’s been home [in Vancouver]. He left with our doctor from Washington on Monday, so he’s making progress, but obviously [has] not cleared,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin explained Friday. “You’ve gotta’ go through all the stages here [with] where he is, but it’s been some encouraging progress here.”
Chytil’s next game in the NHL will be his 400th. He has three goals in six games with the Canucks this season.
This is the second IR stint for Chytil since the Canucks acquired him Jan. 31 in the J.T. Miller trade with the Rangers. Chytil sustained a concussion in mid-March after Jason Dickinson checked him from behind in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Though he skated with the team late in the season, Chytil didn’t play another game in 2024-25. However, Chytil was upbeat and cautiously optimistic heading into this season following a healthy summer back home in Czechia.
“Knock on wood, I feel very good and feel very positive,” Chytil told the 100% Canucks Podcast.
These latest health issues, of course, follow a slew of head injuries he sustained in eight seasons playing for the Rangers. That includes 2023-24, when he was limited to 10 regular-season games due to a concussion and a relapse during his recovery.
Canucks acquire Lukas Reichel with ex-Rangers center Filip Chytil sidelined
With Chytil out indefinitely, and Teddy Blueger week to week with an unspecified injury, the Canucks acquired Lukas Reichel from the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Allvin explained that Reichel could get a look at center with Chytil and Blueger out, though he’s almost exclusively played on the wing in 174 NHL games with the Blackhawks. The 22-year-old has four points (two goals, two assists) in five games this season, and set career highs in goals (eight), assists (14), points (22), and game played (70) last season.
The Canucks are 4-4-0 this season, heading into a home game Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. With the injuries, the Canucks have been very thin down the middle behind No. 1 center Elias Pettersson.
Vancouver needs more from Pettersson, who’s scored just one goal in eight games this season. The Canucks are tied for 25th in the NHL, averaging 2.63 goals for per game.
The Rangers visit the Canucks on Tuesday, as part of their current four-game road trip.
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