New York Rangers injury update: Filip Chytil skates with extras in Calgary
Filip Chytil rejoined the New York Rangers on Wednesday and is skating with the extras after the morning skate Thursday ahead of a road contest against the Flames. As expected, Chytil will miss his third straight game after the center sustained an upper-body injury last week.
Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported that Chytil won’t speak with reporters Thursday and will only do so when he’s closer to playing in a game. The Rangers conclude their four-game trip when they visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
The 25-year-old sustained his latest injury when he collided with teammate K’Andre Miller during the second period of a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden. It was feared that Chytil sustained another concussion, but the Rangers announced Tuesday that a specialist cleared him.
Chytil then flew to Calgary to join the team. Poor weather conditions grounded the Rangers in Vancouver following their 4-3 win against the Canucks on Tuesday, and they traveled to Calgary on Wednesday, canceling practice that day.
Chytil didn’t participate in the full-team morning skate Thursday, but was on the ice afterward with goalie Jonathan Quick, defenseman Chad Ruhwedel and forward Jake Leschyshyn.
Jonny Brodzinski will remain in the Rangers lineup against the Flames. Brodzinski has one assist and the third line outscored opponents 3-0 with him in for Chytil the prior two games.
“Jonny adds a different element,” defenseman Adam Fox said after the Canucks game. “He has that speed that (Chytil) has also. He’s a good player. He’s a guy that we’ve relied on to kind of plug in, one through four, he’s played all over. He could shoot a puck, smart player, and I think the coaches really trust him when he’s on the ice so he’s definitely stepped in and that line hasn’t missed a beat.”
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Filip Chytil timeline for Rangers return remains unclear
There’s no way the Rangers will take a chance and rush Chytil back into the lineup, no matter what his injury is. Even if the team wasn’t playing well or if Brodzinski struggled, Chytil’s health is too important.
Last season, he played only 10 regular-season games and six in the Stanley Cup Playoffs because of an upper-body injury believed to be a concussion. And that was after he had previous head injuries in his career.
Chytil’s been very good this season, though. Playing with a renewed energy and passion, the healthy center has nine points (four goals, five assists) in 15 games. He’s been a powerful force offensively and steady defensively. He, Cuyle and Kakko have outscored opponents 11-0 this season.
After the road trip concludes, the Rangers have a busy week ahead, with four games on the schedule. They host the St. Louis Blues on Monday, then bracket Thanksgiving by visiting the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday and Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. They close out the week with a home game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
So there isn’t a lot of practice time ahead for Chytil, though plenty of games for the Rangers to bring him back in, if he’s ready.
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