After a scary collision with an official in the corner, Filip Chytil departed the Canucks’ game against the Oilers on Thursday night.
Vancouver later in the evening stated that he would not be returning. The club called the injury undisclosed, which gives supporters no information at all.
Quickly, the event occurred. The 27-year-old struck his head on the wall after Chytil and referee Riley Brace hit each other on the boards.
The eye examination was disgusting. An Oilers player stood a few feet distant as he turned nearly parallel to the ice, his legs kicking up against the glass.
Brace seemed to be okay. There was no such solace for the Vancouver forward, who went directly to the locker room.
This is when the timing hurts. The Canucks will play the Oilers in Edmonton on Tuesday to begin the regular season before hosting them two nights later.
Chytil’s contract season is already off to a rocky start.
The recent numbers highlight the anxiety. Last season, Chytil appeared in just 12 games for Vancouver, recording three goals, no assists, and a -7 rating.
He played in 15 games the previous year after joining from New York, scoring six points.
He’s appeared in 10, 56, and 12 games over the last three seasons if you stretch it back. That’s a resume written in pencil for a center with such skill.
He has transformed into the sports vehicle that spends more time on the dealership’s lift than in the garage. Everyone is aware of what is inside. No one is allowed to operate it.
The engine is likewise authentic. He scored 22 goals and 45 points in 74 games with the Rangers in 2022–2023.
Due to that version, Vancouver will have a $4,437,500 cap charge through 2026-27. He is eligible for unrestricted free agency when the contract expires.
What does a team do with a center whose greatest hockey keeps being interrupted?
It would be a mistake to rush him back for the first game. A bad one. A preseason trip shouldn’t be permitted to develop into yet another season largely spent in the press box.
This organization has not yet had a regular-season game coached by Manny Malhotra. He might already be drawing a lineup without one of his centres.
The autumn hasn’t been pleasant either. Vancouver lost 3-1 in Calgary on Tuesday, their second straight defeat of the preseason.
Under Mike Babcock, their new head coach, Edmonton had a two-game winning streak when they first arrived, and nobody on that bench will be worried about Vancouver’s depth at the center.
The next medical update is more important than Saturday’s visit from Seattle.
This becomes a terrifying video and nothing else if the news is positive. If not, the Canucks will travel to Edmonton with a gap in the middle and no obvious solution.
