Familiar injury concerns for former Rangers center after latest frightening incident
In all too familiar scene, former New York Rangers center Filip Chytil was helped off the ice Saturday night in Vancouver after taking a blindside hit and sustaining a possible injury.
Considering Chytil’s history of head injuries and concussions, it was frightening to watch him get run from behind along the boards late in the third period of a 6-2 Vancouver Canucks win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chytil had just played the puck, when Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson crushed him from behind with a massive check. Chytil’s head whiplashed as he crumpled to the ice. After a few moments, Chytil attempted to get up, fell back down, then finally got up on his own and groggily skated off the ice and went straight to the Canucks dressing room with 4:42 remaining in the game.
Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet didn’t have an update on Chytil’s condition postgame.
“It was a pretty bad hit so we’ll see how he is,” Tocchet said.
Tocchet added he was not given an explanation for why Dickinson was not penalized on the play.
UPDATE: Filip Chytil out against Utah on Sunday night
The Canucks coach met with reporters before their game Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club and, though he didn’t use the word concussion, said Chytil would not play and is in “protocol.”
“I talked to him today a little bit,” Tocchet explained. “He felt OK, nothing great. He’ll go through the every day to see how he feels type of thing. He has had a few (concussions) in the past and we’ll see how this thing turns out.
“Sometimes, they can rapidly turn, so you’ve got to stay positive.”
The Canucks, who hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, host the Utah Hockey Club in a crucial contest Sunday at Rogers Arena.
Chytil has six points (two goals, four assists) and is minus-11 in 15 games with the Canucks after he was traded to them by the Rangers in the J.T. Miller acquisition on Jan. 31. The 25-year-old doesn’t have a point in his past six games.
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Former Rangers center Filip Chytil appears to sustain another scary injury
Chytil played parts of eight seasons with the Rangers after they selected him in the first round (No. 21 overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He had career highs with 22 goals, 23 assists and 45 points in 2022-23, but much of his tenure in New York was overshadowed by injuries and inconsistent play.
Most notably, Chytil missed the final 72 regular-season games a year ago because of a concussion. His original comeback was short-circuited in January, when he sustained a setback, believed to be another concussion or head injury.
Chytil did return during the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes. Far from his best, Chytil was held without a point in six postseason games against the them and Florida Panthers.
But playing in those games helped prove to Chytil that he was again healthy, and he showed up to Rangers training camp this past Fall in great shape and state of mind. A strong start centering the Rangers effective third line hit a bump in the road when Chytil sustained an injury after colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller on Nov. 14. Doctors said he didn’t sustain a concussion but Chytil still missed seven games.
In 41 games with the Rangers this season, Chytil scored 11 goals and had 20 points, averaging 14:20 TOI. He’s averaging two minutes more of ice time with the Canucks, but his production is down since being acquired from the Rangers.
But now there are familiar concerns about his short- and long-term health.
THIS IS AN EVOLVING STORY. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES ON FILIP CHYTIL’S CONDITION
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