Rangers center medically cleared, playoff return possible

Rangers center Filip Chytil is skating with the Rangers at Friday morning’s practice in a non-contact jersey, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports reports. Per Mercogliano, Chytil has been medically cleared to return after missing the last six months with two suspected concussions, although the team has only officially designated him with an upper-body injury. The team announced in late January that Chytil was expected to miss the remainder of 2023-24 after sustaining a setback in his recovery.

Friday marked Chytil’s first time skating with the team since Jan. 26, when he had to be helped off the ice after sustaining a setback related to his initial suspected concussion in early November. The team will carefully manage his return to the lineup, and he isn’t expected to play in their two remaining regular-season contests.

However, given Friday’s medical clearance, playoffs may now be possible for Chytil, says Mercogliano. There remains no timetable for a return, and his availability for Game 1 of a first-round series next weekend should be considered doubtful at best.

Chytil’s near-season-long absence factored heavily into GM Chris Drury’s approach to the trade deadline. Their big fish was two-way center Alexander Wennberg, acquiring him from the Kraken for a pair of draft picks to anchor their third line, just as Chytil was expected to do behind Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad. Wennberg has been fine in a shutdown role since the swap, scoring once and adding four assists in 17 games while averaging 15:09 per game. His possession metrics have been promising, given his heavy defensive-zone usage, posting a 52.2 CF% and 50.0 xGF% at even strength since the swap. He hasn’t been much of a factor short-handed, though, averaging less than a minute per game on the penalty kill.

However, getting Chytil back for their pending playoff action would give them a much more mobile option to center their third line with a significantly higher offensive upside. The 24-year-old set career highs across the board last season, notching 22 goals and 45 points in 77 contests with a +15 rating. He didn’t score a goal through 10 games this season before exiting with injury, but he did manage six assists. He also had a goal and three assists in last year’s seven-game loss to the Devils in the first round. That would allow Wennberg to slide to a more comfortable fourth-line shutdown role, relieving him of the offensive responsibility of buoying current third-line wingers William Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko.

Chytil’s long-term health and recovery will remain at the top of his mind as the Rangers ease him back into the lineup, whether this postseason or during training camp next fall. The 2017 first-round pick is only one season into the four-year, $17.75M extension he signed in the Big Apple in March 2023.