What if the Rangers need to replace Filip Chytil this season?

Injuries are hurting the Rangers right now. Over a series of posts, we’ve discussed how the Rangers do actually miss Kaapo Kakko, how missing him and Filip Chytil have impacted the Rangers forecheck and team defense, and how missing both has hampered their ability to create sustained offense. With little news on either’s recovery, should we be exploring options if the Rangers need to replace Filip Chytil in particular?

It’s clear the Rangers miss Kakko’s defensive presence and board play, and it’s also clear the Rangers miss Chytil down the middle to balance out the lineup and offense across multiple lines. Kakko is a bit more easily replaced –yes, a team can miss a player and simultaneously acknowledge he’s easier to replace– than Chytil, as depth down the middle wins championships more often than not.

Chytil’s absence has created a black hole of offense in the Rangers lineup. No disrespect to Nick Bonino, but he’s not a 3C. With Bonino there, opponents can essentially disregard that line as a true offensive threat. They may get a goal here or there, but the top defensive assignments will go to the Artemi Panarin line for the time being.

This is the crux of the problem, of course. Without a balanced lineup, good teams can stack their best defensive players against the one line that scores at 5v5, which is the Panarin line. As long as the Rangers are without Chytil, the bottom half of the lineup won’t produce offense consistently.

Fully healthy, the Rangers have three lines that can put the puck in the net and require strong defensive assignments. Without Chytil and without a balanced top line, the Rangers have just one line that can generate offense. Proving the point: Which 3L would you rather the Rangers have: Cuylle-Bonino-Brodzinski or Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko? The answer is clear, and it’s why the need to at least replace Filip Chytil may become an issue.

Replacing Filip Chytil – internal options are bare

Before the Rangers look to the trade market, there’s always the need to look internally first. When it comes to replacing Filip Chytil, unfortunately that cupboard is bare. Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard, the top prospects right now in Hartford, are not centers. It is best to leave their development path alone for now.

The only centers in Hartford are guys you don’t want the Rangers to call up, like Riley Nash and Jake Leschyshyn. The only prospects are Karl Henriksson and Adam Edstrom. Not exactly guys who are known for their scoring.

Without any internal options to replace Filip Chytil, the Rangers can really only look at a trade.

Trade targets are thin for now

Making things tricky is the trade market, without many real options right now. We’ve covered Yanni Gourde and Alex Wennberg from Seattle, and it’s a big red flag if the Rangers go for Gourde, as the extra year on his deal likely means bad news for Chytil’s concussion recovery. Also Seattle isn’t likely to be selling any time soon.

Adam Henrique in Anaheim is an option, and aside from 2012 PTSD he’s a fine option at that. Elias Lindholm’s name has been thrown around too, but Calgary, like Seattle, is technically still in it. These options don’t help the Rangers right now, should they need to move quickly to leverage Chytil’s LTIR space.

Unfortunately, the timing to replace Filip Chytil is not only bad right now, but it’s bad as the Rangers approach the deadline. There aren’t many options available right now, and the Rangers might need to act sooner rather than later in replacing him. Closer to the deadline, the Rangers may have tapped into even more of their LTIR overage, limiting the money that can come back in a trade.

We learned over the last two seasons that Chris Drury lets all options play out before making a move. Since we know there are no options in Hartford, the only option left for Drury is to hope his concussion symptoms subside soon, or wait until more options become available in the trade market. It’s the old rock and a hard place for Drury if he looks to replace Filip Chytil. There are few good answers right now.