Canucks Filip Chytil Simply Can't Catch a Break

Sometimes hockey is just plain cruel. Filip Chytil has had more than his share of bad luck over the years. And now he has another one. Only this time, he apparently ran into a referee. Of all things.

The 27-year-old forward was injured late in the first period of Thursday’s preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers when his skate collided with referee Riley Brace, sending Chytil into the boards. His right shoulder took the brunt of the impact. Chytil got up quickly and skated to the bench, where he stayed for a few minutes before heading down the tunnel with a trainer. He never returned for the second period and was ruled out shortly after play resumed.

Chytil has been placed on injured reserve by the Vancouver Canucks with a shoulder injury. The placement is retroactive to September 24, and the latest word is that he's considered week-to-week. That's not good news. And for Chytil, it feels especially frustrating.

The guy has shown flashes. We've seen enough of him to know there is a real hockey player in there. The skill is there. The size is there. The ability to make something happen is there. The problem has been staying on the ice.

Chytil's biggest opponent might be his own bad luck.

Chytil only played 12 regular-season games for Vancouver last season, scoring three goals. That's hardly enough time to get comfortable, let alone show what he can really do. And that's the frustrating part. Every time you think maybe this is the year Chytil gets a clean run at it, something seems to happen. Now he's hurt again. And this one apparently came from an innocent collision with a referee.

You couldn't make this stuff up. The Canucks will have to wait for him. They don't have much choice. But week-to-week injuries are never particularly comforting when you're talking about a player who has already had trouble putting together a long stretch of healthy hockey.

That's where the secondary story comes in.

At some point, for Chytil, potential has to become availability.

It's one thing to say a player has talent. It's another thing to have him in the lineup 70 or 75 nights a year and let that talent actually help your hockey club. Chytil hasn't had enough of those nights.

That's the sad part of this story. This isn't about a player who can't play. It's about a player who hasn't been able to play enough.

And there's a big difference. The Canucks need Chytil if they want to see the best version of this team. They need his skill and his playmaking. But first they need him healthy. That's the part nobody can predict.

Maybe he comes back in a few weeks and gets rolling. Maybe this is just another bump in the road. Let's hope so.

Canucks fans would really like to see what Filip Chytil can do if he can stay on the ice.

Some good luck, where he finally gets a long, uninterrupted stretch of hockey, would be huge for Chytil. He's shown glimpses.

Now he needs the chance to show the rest. And after all the bad luck he's had, running into a referee might be about as Chytil as it gets.