Rangers center Filip Chytil has returned to his native Czechia as he continues his recovery from a suspected concussion sustained back in early November, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. While the 24-year-old has made some progress skating on his own, this move will basically serve as somewhat of a reset in his recovery. While there, Chytil will keep skating while working with the trainer and skills coach that he works with in the offseason. There is no word for how long he’ll be at home but Brooks notes that Chytil is committed to returning this season. Chytil had a career year last season with 45 points and was off to a nice start this year before the injury, collecting six assists in ten contests.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren left tonight’s game early with an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). He appeared to be shaken up on the first shot he faced and was only able to stay in for a few minutes before eventually coming out of the game. The 30-year-old has done quite well this season, posting a 2.29 GAA with a .928 SV% in his first 14 games heading into this contest.
- Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, the Capitals also noted that defenseman Martin Fehervary left tonight’s contest with an upper-body injury of his own which also occurred in the first period. The 24-year-old hasn’t lit up the scoresheet with just five points heading into this game but he had been logging a little over 19 minutes a night on Washington’s second pairing.
- The Sabres announced that they’ve assigned center Tyson Jost to AHL Rochester. The move comes as little surprise after he cleared waivers earlier today on the heels of notching just four points in his first 29 games while carrying a $2MM contract. With Ryan Johnson’s quick recall following the move, Buffalo will need to make another roster move to activate Zemgus Girgensons off IR; he could be cleared to return on Saturday.
- On top of the Senators potentially getting Thomas Chabot back on their upcoming road trip which begins January 2nd, TSN’s Claire Hanna relays (Twitter link) that forwards Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier should also be back during that stretch. Chabot is closer to returning than Joseph while Chartier’s timeline is a little less certain as he’s dealing with a concussion.