Healthy Chytil working to become a better goal-scorer for Vancouver Canucks
One of the biggest talking points of the summer for Vancouver Canucks fans and media has been the health of Filip Chytil.
The Canucks entered the offseason with a stated goal of acquiring a No. 2 centre.
“It’ll be expensive, but it will also be very expensive not to get one,” Canucks president Jim Rutherford said about acquiring another centre back in April. “So we’re going to be open to doing whatever it takes, and probably on the trade market, to get that player.”
But with training camp less than a month away, the Canucks haven’t added to their centre depth. In fact, they’ve weakened it, with Pius Suter leaving in free agency.
While GM Patrik Allvin is surely still working to acquire another centre, he does have a player on his roster with second-line centre potential.
A first-round draft pick by the New York Rangers in 2017, Chytil already has 393 games of NHL experience. The 26-year-old was one of the Rangers’ leading goal scorers during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and posted a 22-goal, 45-point season just two years ago.
The worry, of course, is Chytil’s concussion history.
The Czech centre missed the final 16 games of the season after suffering a concussion on March 15, but explained in an interview with John Shannon and Landon Ferraro that he’s been feeling great all summer.
“I feel great… I was very happy that I finished the season on the ice with the guys, for a couple of practices,” Chytil said on the 100% Canucks with Ferraro and Shannon podcast.
“I was so happy about that. I was spending so much time with the trainers at the arena [in March and April]. And when I could start skating with the team… you’re in your natural environment. That’s the place where you want to be. It started to click, everything in my head, and I was so happy… I knew right away that I’ll be ready to go home and start to work out and skate right away.”
Chytil has been working out with his brother, who he says is “one of the best strength coaches” in Czechia.
Among the tasks this summer has been to strengthen areas around his head to prevent future injuries.
“We are focusing a lot on my eyes, on my head as well, on my neck because the last couple of years was not easy for myself. We’re trying to focus on these things a lot… The head is very complicated. There’s still a lot of things that I have to work on, and on my neck as well, because the last injury was probably more about the neck than anything else.”
“I love to score goals”
Chytil lit up when asked if he is skating every day.
“Oh yeah. I love it. I just came back from the practice right now,” said the newly married Chytil, adding that he’s working out with some other Czech NHL players in his home country.
And if there’s one thing he’s focusing on, it’s to try to be a better goal scorer.
“I love to score goals and I know I can score a lot more than what I’m scoring now, or even what my best season was. We’re working with my skills coach around the net a lot. Working on my shot, working on one-timers. And this is the thing that I’m working the most.”
Chytil scored just two goals in 15 games after he was traded to Vancouver, and throughout his career, he has scored at a rate of 16 goals per 82 games. He did score a career-high 22 goals in 74 games in 2022-23, and had 11 goals in 41 games with the Rangers before being traded.
“The thing that I love the most is just shooting. And I know there is so much room… to get better.”
When asked if he’s embracing a chance to be the team’s second-line centre, Chytil said “yes,” but he knows he still has a lot to prove.
“I’m still new on the team, so I have to earn that ice time. And I want to show [new head coach Adam Foote] that when I’m healthy, I can help the team a lot. It’s all up to me on how I’m going to play.
“I need to show the coaches and everybody that I can be the guy to help the team out.”
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