- Filip Chytil left Thursday’s preseason game after tangling skates with referee Riley Brace
- Vancouver confirmed the winger will not return, though the injury remains unclear
- Read below for his concussion history and what’s next for the oft-injured forward
Filip Chytil can’t catch a break.
The Canucks forward left Thursday’s preseason game against the Oilers after his skate got tangled with referee Riley Brace’s while forechecking in the corner during the first period. Chytil crashed hard into the end boards, and Brace went down with him.
Vancouver confirmed he wouldn’t be coming back:
Both players got up right away, though Brace needed a moment to gather himself. Chytil stayed in for a few more shifts before heading to the locker room, according to Daily Faceoff’s Vancouver reporter:
Take a look at the collision:
This is the last thing Chytil needed. He’s already logged five concussions in his career, plus migraines and a facial fracture from a deflected shot during practice last season. Those setbacks limited him to just 12 games for Vancouver a year ago, and 27 total across his last two seasons combined.
A trade brought Chytil to Vancouver midway through the 2024-25 season, with the Rangers landing Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick in return. He posted six points in 15 games down the stretch, the kind of speed and skill that made New York take him 21st overall back in 2017.
New coach Manny Malhotra has run a physical camp all month, including bag skates that left players gassed, on top of a crowded battle for bottom-six jobs. Losing Chytil, even for a few days, only tightens that competition.
Chytil is in the final season of the four-year, $17.75 million contract he signed with the Rangers in 2023. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and another injury-shortened year only adds to the uncertainty hanging over his next deal.
