Canucks’ Filip Chytil gets brutal update after practice injury

The Vancouver Canucks will be without forward Filip Chytil indefinitely after he suffered a facial fracture during practice on Wednesday, head coach Adam Foote confirmed Friday.

The injury occurred as players not participating in the Olympic break skated at UBC. A puck from a Brock Boeser slapshot deflected off a skate, bounced off the Plexiglas, and struck Chytil in the face. He left the ice early for X-rays, which confirmed the fracture. Foote explained that the 26-year-old needs further review from a specialist before determining whether surgery is needed.

Chytil has appeared in only 12 of Vancouver’s 57 games this season, missing 45 contests. He was out for 44 games from October to January after a concussion caused by a blindside neutral-zone hit from Tom Wilson on Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C. Chytil also missed the final game before the Olympic break because of migraine headaches that surfaced during a Feb. 2 game in Salt Lake City, where he skated 7:36, recorded one shot, and finished with a minus-3 rating. He had been practicing in a red non-contact jersey earlier this week before the latest setback.

The 6-foot-2 center has three goals and zero assists in the 12 games he has played this season. In the 2024-25 season, he suited up for just 15 contests and produced six points (2-4) before additional concussion-related problems emerged, including a March 15 hit by Jason Dickinson of the Chicago Blackhawks. Over the last three seasons, injuries have cost him significant time, including 25 games last year and a combined 80 games in 2023-24 (72 regular season, eight playoffs). After reaching career highs of 22 goals, 45 points, and a plus-15 rating in the 2022-23 season, he was set back by a fractured cheekbone.

Originally selected 21st overall by the New York Rangers in 2017, Chytil has amassed 80 goals and 173 points in 405 NHL games with the Rangers and Canucks. Vancouver acquired him in January 2025 along with Victor Mancini and a draft pick in exchange for J.T. Miller, Jackson Dorrington, and Erik Brannstrom.

The Canucks enter the resumption of play with an 18-33-6 record, last in the Pacific Division and 19 points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the final wild-card berth. Vancouver will host the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday at Rogers Arena.

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