New York Rangers: A tale of two Chytils

The eye test

But if you throw all of the analytics out the window and just rely on the eye test, it is clear that Chytil is a different player this postseason.  His shots have been on net with good results.  In the regular season his shooting percentage was 5.9%.  In the playoffs it is 14.3%.

His first goal in Game Six was on the second straight odd man rush on the same shift.  He missed wide on his first attempt, but lasered the puck past Antti Raanta when given another opportunity.   In the regular season, no one would have been surprised if he missed both shots or put the second shot into the logo on Raanta’s chest.  Instead, he went for corner of the  net on Raanta’s glove side and scored.

He’s also showing new confidence in his shots.  His second goal in Game Six was an excellent example.  He went for the puck on the boards and took Brendan Smith out of the play with a reverse hit.  He then put a beautiful backhand over the shoulder of Pyotr Kochetkov to give the Rangers a 4-1 lead.  Watch the second replay.

Chytil has two game winning goals and you could argue that his disallowed goal in the Penguins series means he could be tied for the team lead with Chris Kreider.  Chytil still doesn’t see much power play time, playing 12:21 this postseason compared to the top unit, all with over 40 minutes with the man advantage.

Perhaps the most telling statistic about Chytil has been his willingness to take hits to keep play going.  He has been hit 20 times in the playoffs.  Only Lafrenière has been hit more among forwards, 24 times.

His future

Filip Chytil signed a two-year deal for $4.6 million before this season.  He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after the 2022-23 season.   That $2.3 million AAV is starting to look favorable on the Rangers’ ledger and if he can carry this through to next season, he will be looking for a bigger payday next summer.

Chytil’s play does give Chris Drury some options when he decides what to do with pending UFA centers Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp.

These playoffs have been an opportunity for Chytil and he has seized it. If anything, this says a lot about player development.  Chytil has played the third most NHL games (253) of any player drafted in the  2017 NHL Entry Draft.  He has scored the eighth most goals (42) and more than any player drafted after him except Jason Robertson of Dallas.  He has the tenth most points (93) of any 2017 draftee.

Maybe this is the most important fact out of that draft class.  Chytil and Carolina’s Martin Necas (#12 overall) are the only forwards drafted in the first round that year who are still playing hockey.

It remains to be seen if the Filip Chytil we are seeing in the playoffs is the player we will see in the regular season.  If it is, things look good for an already rosy future for the New York Rangers