Rangers, Filip Chytil must determine if return to hockey is safe

Calamity on the Garden ice Friday morning may have created some clarity in the front office for the Rangers as the March 8 trade deadline approaches. 

Because the question that has hovered over the season since Filip Chytil went down with a concussion suspected to be the fourth of his career might have been answered by 72 himself in a most unfortunate manner when the center went down to the ice during a sparsely attended morning skate, stayed down for at least five minutes and needed aid to get back on his feet and off the ice. 

This, of course, was only Chytil’s second day skating with his teammates since he sustained the injury Nov. 2. The Blueshirts had talked about ramping him up for a return to the active roster following an arduous recovery period in which he returned to his native Czechia for support from friends and family in comfortable environs. 

Everyone was excited for the popular and affable 24-year-old. 

Now, there is concern for Chytil’s future quality of life after this setback. Again the question becomes whether Chytil will be able to resume his career and not when. We are back to references to Michael Sauer, the Rangers defenseman who retired at age 24 in the wake of sustaining multiple concussions. 

Absent medical information and specific knowledge of Friday morning’s incident, it would be folly to make declarations one way or another about Chytil’s future, immediate or otherwise. It is unclear whether he might have been light-headed and lost his balance or whether he was brushed by a teammate and fell and hit his head on the ice. 

Still, it would seem extremely unlikely that Chytil would be medically cleared to rejoin the team in the foreseeable future. This, of course, is aside from the decision Chytil himself will have to confront. 

The question is as simple as the answer would be complex: Is it safe? 

That is a decision Chytil and his loved ones confront the way that Sauer once did, the way that Eric and Brett Lindros did, the way that Pat LaFontaine, Keith Primeau, Scott Stevens and Adam Deadmarsh all did, to name just a few whose careers were destroyed by multiple concussions. 

General manager Chris Drury has been dealing with alternate scenarios approaching the deadline. In the one where Chytil is healthy, the Rangers wouldn’t need to acquire a third-line center and could focus on other needs. In the one where Chytil is not able to play, the Rangers’ priority would be to acquire a center. 

Now, though, it would appear that the matter is settled. While everyone is concerned for Chytil’s well-being, it is not disrespectful to also be invested in how this stunning turn of events is going to impact the Rangers. 

This isn’t thoughts and prayers. The league is not instituting a moratorium while Chytil attempts to heal and the hierarchy weighs its options. 

There is business to be done and the sooner, the better for a club that is now in a freefall largely because it cannot get a critical save when it matters, as was the case in Friday’s 5-2 defeat to Vegas in which the Blueshirts were the better team for at least 40 of the 60 minutes but Igor Shesterkin was the second-best goaltender. 

So yes, the Rangers need a center to play behind Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck and they will almost certainly operate with an additional $4.4 million of cap space that is attached to Chytil. 

The most prominent candidates are pending rental properties Adam Henrique of Anaheim and Sean Monahan of Montreal. Henrique, 34 next month, is carrying a $5.825 million cap hit, of which the Ducks would have to assume 50 percent. That will increase the cost. Monahan, 29, is in for $1.985 million. 

This has been represented as an all-in season for the Rangers. As Cup-or-bust. But this is a flawed team that has won 11 of its 25 games (11-12-2) since Dec. 5. Trading away blue-chip prospects and first-round picks to patch holes will be risky business. 

Tell me this: If Mike Richter had been a below average goaltender in 1994, would the trades for Stephane Matteau, Craig MacTavish, Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen and Steve Larmer have mattered? 

Asked and answered. 

On Friday, at 3:18 of the second period, the Rangers had outshot Vegas 15-7. They trailed, 2-1. The Blueshirts finished with 38 shots, the Golden Knights with 20. The Rangers have outshot their opponents by an average of more than 11 shots a game over their last eight defeats. 

Shesterkin, whose save percentage is below league average at .899, has been below .890 in seven of his last 10 starts. He’s been .900 or below in 15 of 32 starts on the year. 

Does that provide some clarity for you?