The Filip Chytil Situation: Blessing or Curse?

[RichieNextel305]

Let me start this off by saying I think we are all very happy to see Chytil was healthy enough to play in the playoffs only months after it appeared his career was in serious and substantial jeopardy. Hearing that he took a spill in a seemingly innocent and leisurely skate almost all alone on the ice was a scary story to hear.

 

With that being said, we now have an unexpected situation that could be either a blessing or a curse.

 

I know the expectation from the Rangers after Chytil went down in that skate was that he was going to sit the season out and rest up for next season. However, even in that situation, speculation swirled about his hockey future. This isn’t a knee or an arm. This is his head. We have seen a young promising player have to call it quits because of head injuries in Michael Sauer, and this sure seemed damn near similar.

 

Now with him being back for the playoffs, it seems the question of him actually being able to continue his career next year is answered: he will. Obviously he was rusty in the playoffs. But Chytil has shown tons of promise and an ability to score goals and create. That’s why the Rangers rewarded him with an extension.

 

However, with all of that being said, I believe there were some, and rightfully so, who were almost in the camp that for all parties considered, that it may be best he step away from the sport. There is and always will be the worry that the next hit is the last one, and that puts the Rangers in a tricky spot. How can they justify penciling him in to a potential 2 or 3C (or wing, which is where Laviolette has said the organization feels comfortable with him) position next year without any fear of the unknown? I get it, anyone can get injured any shift. But a condition like this, as serious as this, as repetitive as it has been for Chytil, puts the Rangers in a very tricky spot. Had he not been able to play next year, they would be able to stash him on LTIR, recoup his money as other teams have in the past, and work toward potentially acquiring a suitable replacement.

 

Its a tricky spot. There will always be angst almost anytime he takes the ice, because the next one will almost definitely be the last one. For a team that is looking for a complete roster, it is hard to put so much confidence in a player who we truly don’t know is able to withstand the rigors of 82 games and playoffs.

 

Again, I’m not trying to be rude here. We all hope for the best for Chytil. However, this is a situation that obviously Drury and the team need to at the very least acknowledge. Do we rely on him? Is he actually able to go all off-season with no other issue? Does he consider retirement? I doubt that. Do the Rangers look to include him in a trade? I doubt any team bites.

 

Chytil is an asset. He is such a talented kid that’s been dealt an extremely rough hand. I hope this situation turns out best for both him and the Rangers. But there definitely is cause for concern. 

Edited June 5 by RichieNextel305

[Pete]

For me the biggest question is about position. 

 

He's been cleared medically, so it's really nobody's business but his and the team if he continues his career. He's not going to take a seat just because fans want some kind of assurance about the team. 

 

Regarding position, Trocheck solidified himself as a second line center and built chemistry with Panarin...Is Chytil really going to be your third line center?

[RangerDanger]

14 minutes ago, Pete said:

For me the biggest question is about position. 

 

He's been cleared medically, so it's really nobody's business but his and the team if he continues his career. He's not going to take a seat just because fans want some kind of assurance about the team. 

 

Regarding position, Trocheck solidified himself as a second line center and built chemistry with Panarin...Is Chytil really going to be your third line center?

If Lavi truly wants to keep him on wing, I kinda wonder if they experiment with him on the Bread/Tro line, and bump Laf to Zib/Kreids line.

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, RangerDanger said:

If Lavi truly wants to keep him on wing, I kinda wonder if they experiment with him on the Bread/Tro line, and bump Laf to Zib/Kreids line.

Lavvy said that he sees him as a centerman at exit interviews. 

[RangerDanger]

1 minute ago, Pete said:

Lavvy said that he sees him as a centerman at exit interviews. 

Ah, got it. So that kinda cements him once again on 3C, with Kak and Othman/Cuyle. Assuming he nor Kakko gets traded. Feel like we've seen this before, and been underwhelmed......

[Pete]

13 minutes ago, RangerDanger said:

Ah, got it. So that kinda cements him once again on 3C, with Kak and Othman/Cuyle. Assuming he nor Kakko gets traded. Feel like we've seen this before, and been underwhelmed......

My wish is that they do some shifting on the left wing, because to your point it doesn't work. 

 

Cullye Zib Kakko/UFA

Bread: Italian or French 

Kreider Chytil UFA/Kakko

 

There's also a chance that a guy like Berard can make it to the third line.

Edited June 5 by Pete

[JHS]

I'd be shocked if ever gets 50 points in a season for the remainder of his career.  I hope I'm wrong but I see a guy who is prone to injury who already plays a pretty soft game. It's unlikely he will stay healthy enough in any season and sadly I think his career is certainly on a downward trajectory.

[BrooksBurner]

Zibanejad went through a lot of this same stuff. All of a sudden it was never a problem again after having like 6 concussions.

 

I don’t think Chytil’s expected arc has changed. He came back and played. I didn’t see confidence issues. I didn’t see him scared to take a hit. Very positive. I’d expect him to continue on to becoming a top 6 C.

 

Getting some games in this year, tough physical playoff games at that, is a huge boost for the kid entering the offseason.

[BrooksBurner]

11 minutes ago, Pete said:

My wish is that they do some shifting on the left wing, because to your point it doesn't work. 

 

Cullye Zib Kakko/UFA

Bread: Italian or French 

Kreider Chytil UFA/Kakko

 

There's also a chance that a guy like Berard can make it to the third line.

Zero chance you sat on this one all year lol. Where’d you see it?

[Pete]

Just now, BrooksBurner said:

Zero chance you sat on this one all year lol. Where’d you see it?

I've used it before!

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

I’d expect him to continue on to becoming a top 6 C.

But where? Right now it doesn't look like it'll be here. 

 

If you don't like Zib as a 1C, you'll hate a similar player with none of the defensive ability. 

[lefty9]

I like to see him with Zib and Kreider ,

 We need to rebuild our third and fourth line

[lefty9]

And ,I do see him score fifty points in a season

[BrooksBurner]

1 minute ago, Pete said:

But where? Right now it doesn't look like it'll be here. 

 

If you don't like Zib as a 1C, you'll hate a similar player with none of the defensive ability. 

For the record if he moved to wing I wouldn’t care. I just don’t want to box Chytil in right now, in terms of what he can do, and what he can learn from the coaching staff, especially defensively and in the faceoff circle. If Lavi and Chytil both view him as a center moving forward, I’m willing to see it happen. Unfortunately he missed a big year here, and will now be 25, so he has an awful lot to prove next year.

 

What I like the most about Chytil is that I think he is a puck hound. He gets after the puck and has that tenacity to challenge puck carriers in the OZ, causing turnovers or making it difficult on them to carry the puck out or taking away their time and space. A classic “hard to play against” even if he’s not body checking guys. I used to look at him as a mini-Zibanejad because Zibanejad used to have that same tenacity, and that’s part of what made Zib so good. Not just all the fancy one timers on the PP. I didn’t see it out of Zib this year. I wasn’t critical of him two years ago, but I am now because his game changed for the worse. He’s still positionally sound, solid defensively, and a good two way player in general, but I don’t know where the puck hound in him went. That’s what drove a lot of his 5v5 offense when he was better. The will to challenge for and take the puck. He just didn’t have the same drive this year.
 

Give me a 28-29 year old version of Zib as Chytil’s future path any day.

[Pete]

24 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

For the record if he moved to wing I wouldn’t care. I just don’t want to box Chytil in right now, in terms of what he can do, and what he can learn from the coaching staff, especially defensively and in the faceoff circle. If Lavi and Chytil both view him as a center moving forward, I’m willing to see it happen. Unfortunately he missed a big year here, and will now be 25, so he has an awful lot to prove next year.

 

What I like the most about Chytil is that I think he is a puck hound. He gets after the puck and has that tenacity to challenge puck carriers in the OZ, causing turnovers or making it difficult on them to carry the puck out or taking away their time and space. A classic “hard to play against” even if he’s not body checking guys. I used to look at him as a mini-Zibanejad because Zibanejad used to have that same tenacity, and that’s part of what made Zib so good. Not just all the fancy one timers on the PP. I didn’t see it out of Zib this year. I wasn’t critical of him two years ago, but I am now because his game changed for the worse. He’s still positionally sound, solid defensively, and a good two way player in general, but I don’t know where the puck hound in him went. That’s what drove a lot of his 5v5 offense when he was better. The will to challenge for and take the puck. He just didn’t have the same drive this year.
 

Give me a 28-29 year old version of Zib as Chytil’s future path any day.

I see what you're saying, and some of that has to do with how much heavy lifting Zib has to do all game long. 

 

Tro is fortunate to play with two guys who can also get the puck through the neutral zone and manufacture a zone entry, Zib doesn't.

 

Regarding Chytil, I can also see a world where he becomes a 2nd liner when Bread leaves and Trocheck can slot in as a more prototypical third line center. 

[siddious]

7 minutes ago, Pete said:

I see what you're saying, and some of that has to do with how much heavy lifting Zib has to do all game long. 

 

Tro is fortunate to play with two guys who can also get the puck through the neutral zone and manufacture a zone entry, Zib doesn't.

 

Regarding Chytil, I can also see a world where he becomes a 2nd liner when Bread leaves and Trocheck can slot in as a more prototypical third line center. 

I also don’t think it’s fair to talk about Zib and kreider and omit the fact they that line literally has not had someone capable of playing 1RW. 
 

it’s an incomplete line on an incomplete roster. Mismanagement of the cap has led them to that conundrum. They’re essentially missing at least. 50-60 pt guy IMO. 
 

spot on about trochek become 3rd liner ideally in the future. But Chytil is such a question mark now. 
 

this team sucks at drafting and developing centers. It’s been a n issue for decades.

Edited June 5 by siddious

[Pete]

5 minutes ago, siddious said:

I also don’t think it’s fair to talk about Zib and kreider and omit the fact they that line literally has not had someone capable of playing 1RW. 
 

it’s an incomplete line on an incomplete roster. Mismanagement of the cap has led them to that conundrum. They’re essentially missing at least. 50-60 pt guy IMO. 

Yea, don't think it's cap mismanagement as much as feeling the impact of a guy like Kakko not progressing. 

[Bugg]

1 hour ago, JHS said:

I'd be shocked if ever gets 50 points in a season for the remainder of his career.  I hope I'm wrong but I see a guy who is prone to injury who already plays a pretty soft game. It's unlikely he will stay healthy enough in any season and sadly I think his career is certainly on a downward trajectory.

When you consider how awful he is at faceoffs, no way can he be a center here. And despite some spurts here and there the production for a top 6 forward isn't there. He isn't going to morph into a tough 2 way player, not part of his makeup 

 

As to Mika and Kreider not having a  decent RW, at some point do we consider the center isn't very effective spare PP? 

Edited June 5 by Bugg

[siddious]

Just now, Pete said:

Yea, don't think it's cap mismanagement as much as feeling the impact of a guy like Kakko not progressing. 

Yes that’s part of it too for sure.

[Pete]

4 minutes ago, Bugg said:

As to Mika and Kreider not having a  decent RW, at some point do we consider the center isn't very effective spare PP? 

Not until you split Zib and Kreider up, or get them a legit RW. 

[BrooksBurner]

28 minutes ago, Pete said:

I see what you're saying, and some of that has to do with how much heavy lifting Zib has to do all game long. 

 

Tro is fortunate to play with two guys who can also get the puck through the neutral zone and manufacture a zone entry, Zib doesn't.

 

Regarding Chytil, I can also see a world where he becomes a 2nd liner when Bread leaves and Trocheck can slot in as a more prototypical third line center. 

Right and that’s where we disagree. Nothing has changed about Zibanejad’s linemates. Zibanejad regressed on his own. He simply was not as good this year as he used to be through no fault of anyone else. His linemates did not cause his regression.

 

I think we agree that he needs different linemates at this point, but how we get there is different. That matters because that drives the quality and the type of player that he needs on his line. I said back in February that the Zibanejad line badly needed a playmaker who can help drive the line and create offense. I even said as good as the Panarin line was, I’d have tried Lafreniere for a spell with Zib, because there’s two good playmakers on this team - Panarin and Lafreniere - and they were both on the same line. It would have hurt nothing to do that for 5 games.

 

In any event, if they attack this thing from a run it back scenario, I don’t see a realistic RW free agent option that will make the Zib line go. It would need to be a trade, or Zib will have to bounce back and be a better line driver again like he used to be. I think breaking up Kreider and Zib in this scenario is also wishful thinking. If they believe in the guys, they believe in the long time partners in crime. Cuylle is not a realistic option to me to be a mainstay in the top 6 of a team with Cup aspirations.

[siddious]

31 minutes ago, Pete said:

Not until you split Zib and Kreider up, or get them a legit RW. 

Yea I think that’s a partially fair argument except neither Roslovic kakko or chytil did much of anything on that line 

[BrooksBurner]

Where do I see Chytil landing next year? Between Cuylle and Kakko.

 

Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko.

[Pete]

17 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

Right and that’s where we disagree. Nothing has changed about Zibanejad’s linemates. Zibanejad regressed on his own. He simply was not as good this year as he used to be through no fault of anyone else. His linemates did not cause his regression.

 

I think we agree that he needs different linemates at this point, but how we get there is different. That matters because that drives the quality and the type of player that he needs on his line. I said back in February that the Zibanejad line badly needed a playmaker who can help drive the line and create offense. I even said as good as the Panarin line was, I’d have tried Lafreniere for a spell with Zib, because there’s two good playmakers on this team - Panarin and Lafreniere - and they were both on the same line. It would have hurt nothing to do that for 5 games.

 

In any event, if they attack this thing from a run it back scenario, I don’t see a realistic RW free agent option that will make the Zib line go. It would need to be a trade, or Zib will have to bounce back and be a better line driver again like he used to be. I think breaking up Kreider and Zib in this scenario is also wishful thinking. If they believe in the guys, they believe in the long time partners in crime. Cuylle is not a realistic option to me to be a mainstay in the top 6 of a team with Cup aspirations.

Yea we're not agreeing on Zib at all. I don't think there's any debate that Kreider doesn't move the puck up ice. I don't think there's any debate that they don't have a right wing. I don't think there's any debate that all three players on the Bread line are capable of moving the puck and gaining the zone. I don't think there's any debate that that line was more successful five on five than Zib's line. So the answer to me is pretty clear, you can't have one guy on the line doing all the heavy lifting with no support from his line mates and then get upset about that one player's effectiveness when they're doing everything. 

 

Regarding Cuylle, It's surely a risk but I don't think it's fair to put him in a box anymore than Chytil. He brings a lot of the same attributes that Kreider does, defensive ability, speed, size, willingness to shoot, but with much more effort attached. 

 

I know we disagree on CKs effort level though. 

Edited June 5 by Pete

[RJWantsTheCup]

I know a lot of people see potential in Chytil but I wish they would've traded him before they signed him to his last contract.

He's terrible at faceoffs.  Gets lost on defense.  And other than 1 good playoff series and 1 good month not much of a scorer.