Rangers Filip Chytil Faces a Career-Defining Year in 2024-2025
The New York Rangers are holding on loosely, as Filip Chytil has had a choppy development path, after seven seasons in the NHL.
Despite being sent to the minors twice, and suffering various injuries he has only reached 70 games played twice in his career. With a concussion, that would only be limited to 10 regular season games as a result.
As 2024-2025 approaches, this will be a year that defines what his true potential should be, whether it's a rebound year or one where it's defined by injuries, once again.
Chytil had been experiencing some of his best play in 2023-2024 before being sidelined by a concussion. He had the Rangers feeling good about the 21st overall pick in 2017, delivering 45 points in 74 games, and 7 goals in 20 games, dominating shifts with speed, power, and elite puck handling.
They felt he was ready to graduate into the top-six which of course Peter Laviolette agreed, keeping him in the middle of Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin. The unit in its ten games together, had an excellent 57.6 XG% and outchanced the opposition 62-39. Though not scoring, he held a 56.1 XG% locked in by all accounts.
He would collide in open ice with the Carolina Hurricanes Jesper Fast on November 7th and would be out for the regular scary in a scary encounter. People thought, Chytil might retire, but really his career was in jeopardy.
Chytil would return for the playoffs, and unfortunately wouldn't be ready for the playoffs, as he was in and out of the lineup and people would be skeptical of his ability to play. But would eventually return to play 5 games out of 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers. He would absorb punishment and look no worse after the hit from Nikko Mikkola.
But skepticism remains, as the Rangers need a healthy Filip Chytil, they want a return to the 2022-2023 version of Chytil. Healthy, dominating on the ice, and of course scoring 20 goals would be nice.
This would be great for the team, who locked him into a $17.75 M contract in March of 2023. They expect him to win a spot in the lineup first, and then eventually a spot in the top six once again.
Chytil is prized for not only his size but his ability to play defense and be a playmaker on ice. The Rangers would benefit greatly, from being a 3rd line anchor, as towering centers are hard to come by.
Will he be able to put his injury-prone past behind him in 2024-2025 and help lead the team in the postseason? The year could be his last with the Rangers, as a result of bad performance, or the next big hit he takes on ice.
Will Filip Chytil be the power center the Rangers need him to be?
Source: The Hockey Writers
Rangers' Filip Chytil Faces Career-Defining Season
| POLL | ||
Will Filip Chytil be healthy in 2024-2025? | ||
| Yes | 75 | 66.4 % |
| No | 38 | 33.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
