Canucks: Centre Filip Chytil is out indefinitely with facial fracture
Chytil, who had a concussion and migraine headaches this season, was struck Wednesday by a puck during practice drill at UBC.
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First came the concussion, then migraine headaches, and now a facial fracture.
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For hard-luck Vancouver Canucks centre Filip Chytil, it’s become another NHL season to forget.
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Chytil, 26, has been diagnosed with a facial bone fracture and is sidelined indefinitely after being struck Wednesday by a Brock Boeser slapshot during a late practice drill at UBC. The shot firsts struck a skate and then ricocheted off the Plexiglas before hitting Chytil.
“Some back luck for him,” Canucks head coach Adam Foote said following practice Friday. “It doesn’t look like surgery, but he’s seeing another specialist. I don’t have a timeline (for recovery).”
Chytil has just three points (3-0) in a dozen games this season. In 2024-25, he was limited to 15 games and six points (2-4) after more concussion symptoms, including a brutal hit from behind by Jason Dickson of the Chicago Blackhawks on March 15.
“That’s scary, any time you see something like that,” Boeser said after practice Wednesday. “It (shot) got deflected twice and got him in the face and I just hope it’s nothing too bad,” “You just don’t want to see somebody go down in a practice like that.”
Canucks Report
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Chytil had just returned Tuesday in a red non-contact practice jersey after suffering migraine headaches during a Feb. 2 game in Salt Lake City. He also missed 44 games after suffering a concussion when dropped by a heavy blindside neutral-zone hit from Tom Wilson on Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C.
Chytil logged just 7:36 against the Utah Mammoth on Feb. 2 and looked slow in progressions through zones and finished with just one shot and a minus-3 rating. He played left wing to take the pressure off the two-way responsibilities of centre, but wing requires heavy wall work and that’s where something may have occurred to bring on the migraine symptoms.
The Canucks appeared to be back to full health at the centre position when Marco Rossi returned to practice Tuesday. He blocked a shot Dec. 30 against the Philadelphia Flyers, didn’t play the final eight minutes, and was expected to be sidelined at least a week. He then had a setback in his rehab in late January.
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Rossi also missed 13 games with the Minnesota Wild and was activated shortly after being traded to the Canucks. He has played just eight games with Vancouver and has two points (1-1).
“I feel 100 per cent for the first time since I’ve been here,” said Rossi. “After the shot block, I didn’t feel good but kept playing and then I was out for a while. And with the trade, there was so much happening. The games I’ve had here weren’t my best, but it’s all about learning and I want to be at my best.
Now, it’s Elias Pettersson, Rossi, Teddy Blueger, Max Sasson and Aatu Raty at centre options when the Canucks resume regular-season play against the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 25 at Rogers Arena.
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