The New York Rangers have lost one of their young forwards for at least a month, announcing today that Filip Chytil will be out for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury. The injury likely occurred when Chytil collided with Evan Rodrigues, a hit that left the Pittsburgh Penguins forward injured as well.
Chytil, 21, has still not experienced a breakout season with the Rangers, but was off to quite a strong start in his third year. The young forward was the team’s third-line center and had three points through his first four games, averaging just over 14 minutes a night. The team will have to find a replacement now as they try to climb out of the bottom of the East Division.
The Rangers have lost three straight and still haven’t received any contribution from first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, who is still looking for his first NHL point. Losing a core piece like Chytil, even if he still hadn’t reached his potential, is concerning for a team that was already struggling. Even more weight will be placed on the shoulders of some of their veteran players to get things turned around.