New York Rangers' President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris Drury said on Tuesday that forward Filip Chytil is a “full go” for the upcoming season, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Filip Chytil missed the majority of last season for the Rangers due to a concussion that he suffered early on in the regular season. Eventually, it took him a very long time to return, and the Rangers decided that he would be shut down, but he did return for a few games in the playoffs, playing on the wing instead of his usual center position.
With Chytil potentially returning to the center position, that will lengthen the Rangers' lineup down the middle, as long as he can stay healthy. He has a history with concussions at this point, and it is a question of whether he can hold up for the 82-game regular season and playoffs.
The Rangers are a team that has the goal of winning for a Stanley Cup. They have done about everything you can do without winning one in recent years, making the Eastern Conference Final twice in the last three seasons, and winning the President's Trophy last season. With a core that has a ton of talent and playoff experience, paired with arguably the best goalie in the NHL in Igor Shesterkin, it is cup or bust for the Rangers in 2024-2025.
Where does Filip Chytil slot into the Rangers' lineup?
Going into the regular season a year ago, Chytil was the Rangers' second center on a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. That line looked great before Chytil suffered his injury and Vincent Trocheck filled in and had a great season. The Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere line was by far the best for the Rangers when it came to five-on-five play, which is the biggest question mark for the team. It would be reasonable to assume that Peter Laviolette will not want to mess with something that works.
Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider have been on the top line for the Rangers for many years now, and despite the five-on-five play being disappointing, it would take a lot for those two to be broken up.
Due to that fact, Chytil is likely in line to be the third line center for New York this season. He could be playing with players like Kaapo Kakko, Reilly Smith and Will Cuylle. Training camp and preseason will determine his linemates.
Regardless, it is positive for the Rangers to have Chytil back as a full go this season, because he brings much more offensive upside than the other options for that third center spot.
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