Canucks’ Filip Chytil shines in needed way in win over Flames

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It’s inevitable that the first game of the year will feature plenty of rust.

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Timing is off, new linemates are still sorting each other out.

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In that rust, those that are clicking together instantly stand out. In Thursday’s 5-1 win for the Vancouver Canucks over the Calgary Flamesit’s doubtful anyone would disagree that the trio of Filip Chytil, Arshdeep Bains and Conor Garland stood out.

Bains’ smart positioning and fine passing talents were on display, and so was Garland’s bulldog spirit. It has the makings of an intriguing second line and the engine to that is Chytil. It was always going to be. And the way he played Thursday was a fine display of the kind of play that so intrigued scouts in his draft year.

The New York Rangers grabbed him 21st overall in 2017, the same year as Elias Pettersson was picked by Vancouver, so you wouldn’t be wrong to wonder why scouts were intrigued by a player who fell that far down the first-round chart. You can get good players there, but rarely do they turn out to be superstars.

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Chytil isn’t going to become a superstar and, at age 26, he’s pretty much the finished product, but it’s still worth understanding why he wasn’t picked higher — his birthday. Born on Sept. 5, 1999, had he been born 10 days later, he wouldn’t have been eligible to be drafted until 2018. He was one of the youngest players picked in his draft year.

That’s the flaw: the potential range of where he would land as a mature player was broad. Players who are closer to age 19 in their draft year are just that more developed, the picture of who they’ll potentially be is just a little more sharp.

Where he’s landed is a very good player. Indeed a player who brings a different skill set: he’s big and fast, no doubt, but it’s how he skates that matters. He’s a dynamic skater, who carries the puck into the zone in a way that Pettersson, for instance, doesn’t.

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And after a summer where management had hoped to find another option for second-line centre, he’s still in the role and, while he says he doesn’t pay attention to the chatter that’s out there, there’s little doubt he could still yet solidify his grip on the spot. He can do that with more games like the one he played against Calgary.

On both his goals Thursday he put his skating talents on display. To create the space to take his first shot before his first goal — yes, the shot that hit Kevin Bahl in the head — he used his size to protect the puck as he burst off the wall and headed for open ice across the slot. He then used his athleticism to pivot into a shooting position, then fired the puck toward the net. He got a fortunate bounce off Bahl’s misfortune and buried his chance.

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And then on his second goal, instincts just took over, he said post-game. The buildup to his breakaway happened in the blink of an eye, forcing a turnover then quickly seeing that the puck was sliding to Bains, so Chytil gambled and took off. Bains slid a perfect pass up the ice to Chytil, who streaked away, then pulled off a nifty double-head-fake deke before scoring past Flames goalie Dustin Wolf.

Chytil was exactly the player on the night that the Canucks really need him to be: a highly effective all-around centre who uses his speed and strength to be a complimentary player. The stars weren’t there right away but Chytil’s line filled the gap.

For his part, Chytil was obviously happy about how his season started, but he also tamped down on any broader meaning.

“There is still room to work on so many things, so I can be happy until midnight that we won, and tomorrow is another day where we have to work hard,” he said.

His bosses will like that answer.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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