New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil has had a rough go of it over the past few seasons.
He has missed a lot of playing time through having four concussions, missed out on playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and also missed out on continuing to show both the Rangers and the rest of the NHL that he can be a solid contributor in the league. For a player who is still just 25 years of age, he has already had a lot to deal with.
With that said, it appears that Chytil, 25, has come into the upcoming season refreshed and ready to go. On Saturday, September 21, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette told Rangers beat writer for The New York Post, Mollie Walker, that Chytil did what he had to do to get ready for this season and that he looks healthy.
“Having him back in at the end of the season, it probably set him up to have a good summer,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “He made his way back, probably wasn’t where he needed to be, just based on the season that he had. Now, he’s had the whole summer to train. He’s gone in, he’s come back in very good shape. He looks excellent on the ice.
“There are no limitations with him whatsoever. I actually think maybe the opposite. Maybe a little bit more is good right now to try to get back in, find his game and the game shape part of it and the feel that goes with the game.“
Like Laviolette, Chytil wants to get some game action before the regular season. He told Walker on Saturday that he hoped that the more he played, the better he will feel going into the regular season.
“I wish [to play as many preseason games as possible] because I didn’t play since Nov. 3, I played only six games in the playoffs, and [it] was like 10 percent of my ability of what I can do,” Chytil said Saturday after another double session at MSG Training Center. “Because, like I said, I didn’t skate at all before the playoffs. I jumped into it, worked hard and now, when is the preseason?
“I [hope] in the first game I will remind myself [of] game things, what I was missing and just go step by step every game. Take each game and go step by step until the first game of the season.”
In his team’s 3-2 preseason win in Boston over the Bruins on Sunday evening, September 22, Chytil certainly did not look out of place and seemed like he was more than ready to go for the regular season. In fact, he was the team’s and the game’s best player.
Chytil tallied two points on a power play goal and an assist, logged 22:34 minutes of ice time, had a game-high six shots on goal, and won 56 percent of the face-offs he took. Playing on a line with Kaapo Kakko and Will Cuylle, Chytil looked comfortable, did not play with any fear, and looked like the player he was before the concussions he suffered.
This is the kind of player that the Rangers need this season. When Chytil is healthy, there is a lot that he can do to help his hockey club.
For starters, he can put up a decent amount of points. Prior to missing almost all of last season, Chytil had 45 points on 22 goals and 23 assists in 74 games in the 2022-23 season playing mostly third line minutes and limited time on the power play.
In the 10 regular season games he did play last season, he had six assists. Had he stayed healthy, Chytil probably would have eclipsed the point total he accumulated the season before.
Secondly, Chytil makes Kakko a better player. When the two have played together in the past, Kakko has played some of his best hockey and has looked the most comfortable he has ever been as an NHLer.
Kakko needs to have a big season this year. Chytil might be the key to unlocking it for the Blueshirts.
Lastly, the Rangers need scoring depth. Last season, the team relied on the likes of Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere to provide most of the offense.
If Chytil can stay healthy, he should be able to provide an offensive boost and take off some of the pressure of the team’s top two lines. He could also end up helping out on the power play, which was already great to begin with.
Hopefully for the Rangers and Chytil, this will be a season where they both have a lot of success and that Chytil is a big part of that success.
