First things first, of course, which means Friday’s Game 2 at the Garden against Tampa Bay, followed by the remainder of the conference final, followed by whatever might follow this month for a Rangers team that is seven victories shy of the Stanley Cup.
But Filip Chytil’s amazing technicolor breakout through this tournament could change the dynamic of the offseason just as dramatically as it has altered the course of the playoffs.
After months of assuming that the Blueshirts were going to need to spend between $5 million and $6 million per on a second-line center, whether that be pending free agent Ryan Strome or a newcomer via the open market or a trade, the Blueshirts may already have that 2C under contract at a bargain cap hit of $2.3 million.
That would be No. 72, who by the way, wears that number to honor the birth year of his father, Rostislav Chytil. If the Rangers go that way, general manager Chris Drury would then have the opportunity to use the club’s precious cap space to transform the third line into a physical, checking-oriented unit.
Management is focused on this series. Head coach Gerard Gallant is focused on Friday’s first shift, then the next, and then the next after that. The big picture recedes when it’s best-of-seven. But the residual benefits from this unexpected run will reverberate not only into next season but for years to come. Gallant almost acknowledged that when asked about the Kid Line that features Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko on the flanks.
“They’ve had a huge impact since the start of the playoffs,” said the coach. “The future looks real bright for our club but I’m not looking at the future, I’m looking at the near future.”
Filip Chytil has broken out in the playoffs. APAt this moment, the 22-year-old Czech seems to be a significant part of both. Over the last few years, there’s been at least one individual who has always been a believer in Chytil, who more than a few times told me I was wrong when I suggested that No. 72 might be better off on the wing than in the middle.
“He’s a horse in the middle,” this fellow said. “He’s going to be a beast at center when he matures.”
And in the aftermath of Chytil’s bravura, two-goal performance in the Blueshirts’ opening 6-2 victory, I sent this fellow a text, telling him he just might have been right about him all along.
Claude Lemieux returned the text: “I was wondering if you remembered?”
Lemieux, who is an agent, spent a fair amount of time at the practice rink when his son, Brendan, played for the Blueshirts from the 2018 deadline through late last season. He had a particular interest in the Rangers. He saw something special in Chytil.
“He can get through holes on the ice that others can’t,” Claude Lemieux said in a phone conversation that followed the text exchange. “He’s 6-3, 210, and he can create time and space for himself because of his skating and power.
“There are only certain players who can do that. They’re very difficult to find. Scott Gomez could create open space in New Jersey, but he wasn’t 6-3, 210. It’s rare to have a center with Fil’s physical assets who can clear out space for himself. The Rangers have one.”
Chytil had been brittle during the season, sidelined on five distinct occasions for injuries that were not serious. He could not nail down a spot or secure a role, bouncing around the lineup. He scored eight goals in 67 games. He has seven goals in 15 playoff contests.
There’s always a big correction when there is a coaching change,” Lemieux said. “It takes time for players to be comfortable. It looked to me that it took a while for Filip to be comfortable, but now that he is, you can see special qualities.
“That backhand he put into the top of the net [against Carolina in Game 6], that shows you how strong he is. He rolls off hits. There’s a special combination of strength and skill.”
Filip Chytil is greeted by teammates after his second-period goal in Game 1. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostThis is Chytil’s fifth pro season and fifth with at least some time on Broadway. These last few weeks have recalled the center’s performance at his first camp in 2017 when he was a phenom at age 18 and forced himself into the opening night lineup months following his 21st overall selection in the draft.
But his progress has not been linear. He is not a classic dispatcher in the middle, indeed preferring to hang onto the puck rather than moving it quickly. Too many rushes wound up with Chytil carrying the puck into a crowd. But Lemieux, one of the most substantial wingers of his day, said he would have loved to have played with Chytil.
“If I were at training camp with him, I’d tell the coach to put me on a line with the kid,” said New Jersey’s 2000 Conn Smythe winner. “The way he can hold onto the puck, things he can do to create time and space, he would find me.”
Now it appears that Chytil has found himself. And the Rangers may have found a long-term solution to their issue at center.
