Filip Chytil Could Solve a Big Canucks Problem
There is a temptation to look at Filip Chytil and ask whether he can finally become the player Vancouver hoped they were getting. That’s probably the wrong question. The Canucks don't need Chytil to put up 60 points. Given his injury history, that would be asking for something the organization simply can't count on.
The Canucks need Chytil to become a dependable NHL centre.
That sounds like a fairly modest goal. It could also be very important. Before injuries interrupted his career, Chytil showed that he could play. He had size, speed and enough offensive ability to make an impact. The problem is that Vancouver hasn't really had the opportunity to see what that player looks like over a sustained stretch.
And that's why this season could be interesting. If Chytil arrives at training camp healthy and gets a full preseason, I'd be inclined to give him a real opportunity at centre. His brief experiment on the wing last season doesn't tell us much because he was still coming back from a lengthy absence and trying to find his game.
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If Chytil stays healthy, the Canucks should find out what they actually have.
The interesting part is what happens around him. Vancouver already has Elias Pettersson and Marco Rossi down the middle, with Aatu Räty pushing for a bigger role. Then there is Braeden Cootes, who shouldn't be rushed simply because the organization has a hole to fill. A healthy Chytil gives the Canucks something rebuilding teams desperately need: options.
If he can handle a regular centre role, suddenly Räty doesn't have to be forced into the lineup before he's ready. Cootes can develop without the organization looking at him and thinking, “Well, we need another centre.” Rossi can be used in a role that supports his development. And Pettersson doesn't have to carry the entire position.
That's why I think Chytil's potential importance to Vancouver is being underestimated. His value isn't necessarily in becoming the team's second-line star. It may be in making the whole centre group deeper and more flexible.
The Canucks need their depth to contribute.
Good teams don't just need their best players to be good. They need enough players underneath them that one injury, one bad stretch or one young player's growing pains don't throw the whole lineup into chaos. The Canucks are still rebuilding. They don't have enough established talent to make every position comfortable. So when a player like Chytil potentially gives them another legitimate NHL option, it matters.
The trick is not to expect too much. If Chytil stays healthy, plays regularly and gives Vancouver competent two-way minutes with some offence, that's a win. It gives the Canucks more choices. It gives the coaching staff more flexibility for constructing the lineup. And perhaps most importantly, it gives the organization more time to develop younger players.
Chytil would help give the Canucks time and space to develop their players.
Sometimes a player becomes important because of what he produces. And sometimes he becomes important because his presence gives everybody else room to develop. Chytil could be that kind of player for Vancouver.