The New York Rangers took another hit Friday morning as Filip Chytil went down with another injury during an optional practice. He was only one of three players participating, which makes a relation to his earlier concussion more likely. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any significant updates as to the official cause of this injury.
Chytil was helped off the ice to be evaluated, and nothing has been revealed since. The community is wishing for a speedy recovery from their young center, but with uncertainty in the air, GM Chris Drury will have some important decisions to make moving forward.
Drury may want to prepare for the worst and add a new center to his list at the trade deadline
Chytil is an important piece of the Rangers’ offensive corps. He started off the season as the second-line center, but since he left the team on November 2nd, Vincent Trocheck has assumed that role in what is one of his best career seasons thus far. Nick Bonino took the place of the third-line center, but that proved to be a failure as he was placed on waivers Thursday afternoon.
Chytil was meant to fill that third-line role upon his return, but this injury might bring this plan to a halt. Although there has been no indication of the severity of the events that transpired Friday morning at practice, it definitely creates some concern regarding Chytil’s health. It’s been known that Drury intends on acquiring a new right wing at this year’s trade deadline, but the Rangers may just need a new center as well if Chytil remains out longer than expected now.
Drury’s decision on Chytil’s injury could determine the outcome of the Rangers’ season
At this point, Drury has two options to choose from here. He can hope that Chytil is able to make a return before the playoffs begin, or he can make an attempt to acquire new depth at the deadline. Both of these options have their pros and cons, so Drury will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders when making his decision.
If he chooses to gamble on Chytil’s return, the Rangers could enter the postseason without a solid third-line center if he fails to return in time. This alone could be enough to cause another first-round exit for the Blueshirts, which makes this option quite risky.
If the Rangers trade for a new center and then Chytil does return this season, Drury will be stuck with too many players to fit on the roster. This seems like the less risky option, but with limited cap space to be spent, every penny counts for the Rangers this season.
The deadline is still over a month away, so there isn’t any current urgency regarding Drury’s decision. Chytil will hopefully return to the team soon, but it’s impossible to make any solid judgment with the lack of details revealed so far. What’s most important is that Chytil focuses on his health, and the Rangers will make an important decision regarding his future when more is known about the situation.