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The Vancouver Canucks are fading away in the Western Conference playoff race, and they'll most likely have to play the last seven games of their regular-season without forward Filip Chytil.
The 25-year-old was hit from behind by Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson in the third period of a 6-2 win on March 15, and hasn't played since. He was diagnosed with a concussion and continues to deal with lingering symptoms, head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed.
“Good days and bad days he's had,” Tocchet said following Tuesday's practice, per NHL.com's Kevin Woodley. “He'd go out and skate, felt good, the next day not as good. So, to be honest with you guys, does he play this year? Maybe the odds are against it. You don't want to put a guy in that type of position but when a guy has good days and bad days, obviously, you're not going to play the guy.”
Chytil has dealt with head injuries throughout his career, going back to his time with the New York Rangers. He only played 10 games in 2023-24, but the hope was that those issues were in the past when he was acquired as part of the trade that sent JT Miller to the Big Apple on Jan. 31.
Although Chytil has been skating on his own for two-and-a-half weeks since the hit from Dickinson, it's clear he isn't close to a return. And considering the Canucks are now eight points back of the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference, there doesn't look to be any reason to rush him back.
Over 56 games split between Vancouver and New York in 2024-25, Chytil has managed 13 goals and 26 points. He played 15 games with the Canucks before the injury and managed two goals and six points in that span.
Along with Chytil, Tocchet provided an update on injured forwards Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander.
Nils Hoglander getting close; Elias Pettersson's return not imminent
Both Hoglander and Pettersson were injured in a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Rangers on March 22, and each missed the final four games of a long six-game road trip.
The team has sorely missed the three forwards, winning just two times in six tries since. Hoglander practiced with the team in a non-contact jersey on Wednesday morning but was held out of the lineup for a disappointing 5-0 shutout loss to the Seattle Kraken.
Pettersson, who is in the midst of the worst offensive season of his career, wasn't on the ice and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Tocchet confirmed.
“He's skated I think once or twice, didn't skate that hard, a little bit of discomfort,” Tocchet said of Pettersson, per Woodley. “When a guy is day to day, you expect him to play, but I don't know the discomfort level, where it's going to go.”
Despite the down year, Pettersson remains third in team scoring with 15 goals and 45 points over 64 games. Hoglander has chipped in 21 points in 66 games.
At this point, it really makes no sense to rush any of the three players back. The St. Louis Blues have won 10 games in a row and have a strong hold on the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference.
The Canucks would have to win basically all of their last seven games, or at least six, to get in. The way things have gone lately, that isn't likely. Vancouver is back in action against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.
