Surprise surprise.
For the first time since being shut down in late January after a setback in the recovery process from an upper body injury, Filip Chytil was back at guards trained on Friday after receiving medical clearance.
The center, who played just 10 games this season, had been exercising alone and wanted to skate with the team. The 24-year-old trained shirtless without contact.
“He looks good out there,” head coach Pedro Lavioleta told reporters, including Vince Z. Mercogliano, after practice. “There’s no timeline for Fil. We’re not going to rush him back. Whenever he feels and the eyes on him feel and the powers that be feel that he’s in a good place, that’s a different story.”
The Blueshirts will be cautious with their former first-round draft pick and are prioritizing his health over a return this season.
The Rangers have two more regular season games (Saturday afternoon against the Islanders and Monday night against the Ottawa Senators) before the playoffs begin.
The final day of the regular season is Thursday, April 18th, while the NHL playoffs begin on April 22nd.
New York is currently in first place in the Eastern Conference and the NHL with 110 points and a 53-23-4 record. However, the Carolina Hurricanes (107 points, three games remaining), Boston Bruins (107 points, three games remaining) and Florida Panthers (106 points, two games remaining) still have a chance at first place in the East.
