The New York Rangers are expected to call up both Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson in the next week. Being realistic about expectations is important.
The Rangers are officially in prospect watch mode with only ten games remaining in the season. Following Tuesday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, it is expected that Andersson will be called up. The front office has waited this long to call him up to avoid burning a year off of the Swede’s entry-level contract.
The front office will not call up Chytil until next week. Since the Czech forward played two games in October, those games count towards burning a year off of his entry-level contract. It is expected that Chytil we get called up for the home and home against the Washington Capitals on Monday.
Being that both Chytil and Andersson are first round picks, the expectations will be sky high. The expectations for first-round picks are rightly sky high. Before last season, the Rangers had not had a first-round pick since 2012. The team selected defenseman Brady Skjei in the first round that year. The front office selected J.T Miller the draft before that.
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Both Miller and Skjei were good draft picks that did pan out at the NHL level. Every first round pick needs to be a home run because of the way the league is currently constructed. The way to improve is through the draft, it is rare great players change teams in free agency.
Chytil-juice
Of the two, Chytil has shown a greater readiness for the NHL. Head coach Alain Vigneault gave Chytil a cup of coffee in the league before sending him to the AHL. Vigneault didn’t think the forward was ready for regular NHL minutes, being that he only got 13 minutes of ice time over two games.
In the AHL, Chytil had 31 points in 44 games while playing top line minutes. It is a unique situation in that the forward has an unknown ceiling and really has unlimited potential. Who the Rangers play Chytil with will be a big indicator of the expectations. Chytil won’t be expected to get on the score sheet if he plays in the bottom six. If the Czech center has Cody McLeod riding shotgun, the points won’t follow.
However, if the center plays in the top or middle six and on the power play, the Rangers are expecting production. Putting Chytil with players like Ryan Spooner or Mats Zuccarello would be a cue that the team wants him to find his offensive game. The translation in production from the AHL to the NHL is not linear. Making the jump will come with mistakes, especially for someone who is only 18-years-old.
If Chytil can net two or three points in seven games, that would be an encouraging level of output. Don’t expect the center to be game breaking from the jump, player development takes time.
Andersson’s audition
The Rangers selected Andersson with the eighth overall pick last June. The pick was viewed as a low risk and a safe selection that was easy to project. This is why people were concerned when Andersson didn’t crack the lineup out of training camp. There was an expectation when he was taken that he would slide into the number three center role.
The center spent the first half of the season playing for HC Frolunda in the Sweedish elite league. Following a two week stint as captain of the Sweedish World Junior Championships team, Andersson came over to the AHL. In his 23 games with the Hartford Wolfpack, Andersson has 14 points.
Again, like Chytil, it is dependent on who he plays with that should set the expectations for Andersson. Expecting an 18-year-old to jump right in and be outstanding is a fool’s errand. Of the two, Andersson has a more well rounded, two-way game. The Swede will likely start out centering the fourth line to start.
Conclusion
The Rangers are in a position where there are no consequences for the last ten games of the season. No matter what happens, they are not making the playoffs and they won’t be able to move up much in the draft. This will be about learning and experimenting with players and getting them comfortable.
In the case of Chytil and Andersson, they are both just getting their feet wet. It is important to not jump to conclusions using a small sample size. If things aren’t perfect for the two forwards in their auditions, it won’t be a death knell to their careers. They are both 18 years old and just beginning their development as NHL players.
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The message should be quite simple: enjoy the youth movement. The Rangers haven’t had a team this young in a long time, the future looks bright.