Filip Chytil is a dynamic offensive player. He is able to play the game at high speeds and excels when he has the puck in open space, according to eliteprospects.com.
The notebook. On Chytil and Lemieux. https://t.co/AViFcOaEgf via @nypostsports
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 28, 2019
Filip Chytil Will Ride the Bench
“Yes,” Quinn said, per the New York Post. “[I need to see] the consistent effort I know he’s capable of giving. By no stretch of the imagination does he show up trying to be lazy or not work hard, [but] I think part of the learning curve for a young player is to redefine what hard work is.
“I think he’s just going through that and going through what a lot of 19-year-olds go through, learning how to redefine what hard work is, redefining what compete is. It is non-negotiable and it has to happen shift in and shift out.”
Chytil was the 21st overall selection of the Rangers in the 2017 NHL Draft. While he has 10 goals, 10 assists in 60 games this season, he is struggling to show any offensive sparks lately. He has mustered just one goal and two assists in his last 13 games, and that just isn’t the direction Quinn approves of for this development in the NHL.
Evaluating the Roster
With the trades the New York Rangers have made recently, cleaning house by sending Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, and Adam McQuaid at the deadline sitting Chytil is not a big deal. It would be nice if he could start producing, but with young players sometimes it’s best to let them sit and think about it.
“I’m not surprised,” Quinn added. “It’s not odd. It’s not abnormal for a 19-year-old to sit out. He’s sat out [three] games so far this year and he’s going to sit out a few more. Over the grand scheme of things it’s not that big of a deal. It seems like it is because we’re going through it right now but when the dust settles and the season ends and he comes back with the level of play we all anticipate him to come back with, this isn’t going to be talked about.”
“Filip has had some great stretches here and he’s going to be a great player for us. This is part of the learning curve and development.”
What This Means Going Forward
The Rangers are still retaining six other centers on the team who have played at least 30 games. Getting Chytil back in the lineup isn’t essential. It may help get the rookie inspired to play better when Quinn decides to call his number.
Being as young as he is is always taking a risk that the benching will make his mental attitude worse. That is a coach’s responsibility to know his players. Either Chytil realizes that this is the NHL and production means everything, or he may sit for a longer period of time than he thinks.
He has potential and he is just in the infancy of his NHL career. He needs to earn his ice time and the way he does that is to produce.
David Quinn won’t accept anything less than that.
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