Chytil might not be a bad piece for Canucks in potential Miller trade

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Nobody really knows what the summer will bring for the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks included. But we’ve seen before, that trade talks that start in one season, can continue the next.

So with that in mind, you have to wonder if the Canucks would press redial on the rumoured J.T. Miller trade offer from the New York Rangers. For those that hadn’t heard the proposed deal, it included Nils Lundqvist, Filip Chytil, and a first round pick.

And the sticking point for some Canucks fans, and likely Canucks management, is the unproven nature of the two roster players. Lundqvist is struggling to be a regular in the NHL this season. Chytil had regressed in production this year after his points per game had improved in each of his first three seasons.

What a shot 🚨

Filip Chytil makes it 3-0 New York in the 2nd periodpic.twitter.com/tZatxuXHgv

— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) May 29, 2022

But the playoffs, in its 13-game sample size so far, have seen the best of Chytil. With four goals so far, he has half his total in 67 games this season, and is looking very much at home recently on a kid line with Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko, including a two-goal performance in Game 6.

Filip Chytil, are you serious? Sidney Crosby mode. Buttery backhander 🧈🤌pic.twitter.com/lGnzNOBuur

— Mike Cratty (@Mike_Cratty) May 29, 2022

He’s 22 years old, and will be turning 23 just before training camp. He has size, draft pedigree as the 21st overall pick in 2017, and has performed well on the senior international stage as well. Is there a “click” about to come for Chytil?

He’s also potentially a decent cap value for next season for an acquiring team, coming in at $2.3 million before another RFA summer.

I’m not here to tell you Chytil is a sure thing, merely that we are learning more about him here. And maybe this season’s regression is the outlier.

None of this addresses the Lundqvist piece of that trade possibility either. And that’s a legit concern/question to have. But a first-round pick and Chytil maybe isn’t a bad launching point after all.

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