Filip Chytil met with the media to discuss his eventual return to the Canucks' lineup.
Filip Chytil is set to skate in his 400th career NHL game the next time he steps into the lineup for the Vancouver Canucks. He’d been just on the cusp of that milestone before a heavy hit by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson knocked Chytil out of the game on October 19, sidelining him for three months of the 2025–26 season. Now, after taking the time to recover, it appears Chytil’s 400th may be on the horizon.
“Sixth game of the season, and I was working so hard all summer to be in a position where I was, and I think I started the season pretty well. And then it was a long break. I have to work on not just the physical side, but the mental side as well now, to come back. I want to help the team as much as I can, but I have my goals while I'm coming back and just build my game again,” Chytil told the media after practice on Sunday regarding his eventual return to the Canucks’ lineup. “I’m so happy that I’m going to be back soon, and let’s see what’s gonna be after.”
Chytil’s fate was unknown for a while, as the forward had been absent for a good chunk of Vancouver’s practice times throughout the season. Towards the end of December, he started appearing at skates more consistently, donning a red non-contact jersey and taking to the ice alongside Vancouver’s extras. Both he and Teddy Blueger participated in full-contact practice on Sunday, indicating that both of their returns are imminent.
“Overall, I had to go step-by-step the whole three months, and we’re following the plan with the trainers, with the doctors, how we should and, yeah, I think they managed it very well. I’m very happy for the people working with me here and back home as well, the people I have, and yeah, everything goes how it should, and I’m very happy that I’m very close now to be back.”
“We’re playing a tough game and a sport at the end of the day. With a guy like Chyts, we’ve had discussions over this time period with our group, and he's had great people around him helping him get back,” Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote said of Chytil’s expected return. “He wouldn’t be [returning] if he wasn't confident that he'd be okay. Two months ago, three months ago, I probably would have felt like, who knows, but he seems so happy, and [I’ve] been around him a lot, he seems real confident. It’s nice to see him feel that, right?”
The return to the lineup hasn't come without some negatives. There are a few things that made the recovery process hard for Chytil, on-ice things aside. Missing all this time at the NHL level has been one thing, but, as Chytil explained, sustaining injuries in this particular season has also had negative impacts on any hopes he had of making Czechia’s 2026 Winter Olympic roster.
“From the beginning was very hard because I was hopeful that I could play the whole 82 games, but it wasn't the case,” he admitted. “These last two years have been very hard for myself and for my wife, for my family especially, and yeah, I missed so many events. I missed so many games in the NHL. Now I’m gonna miss the Olympics as well. It sucks, but that’s what it is.”
Oct 9, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil (72) celebrates his first goal of the period against the Calgary Flames in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesHad it not been for Wilson’s hit in October, there’s a chance Chytil could have made Czechia’s roster alongside Canucks teammates Filip Hronek and David Kämpf solely based on his start to the season. Throughout the 2025 pre-season and training camp, Chytil quickly became one of Vancouver’s standouts. The speed and skill he’d exhibited made the Canucks believe that he could be the second-line center that the team had been looking for this whole time.
“You saw what he was doing at the beginning of this year. It was an early meter, but he was really good,” Foote added. “They've been doing a lot of work. Working on where he is after a pass, where he skates, doing a lot of video. How has this happened in the past? Is there a trend? Things like that. And he's been working hard with our skills people looking at, did you open yourself, or things like that. There’s a lot that goes into this, but I think he's in a real good place.”
When asked about his own takeaways from the hit itself, Chytil wasn’t shy about pointing out how it exposed some of the things he needed to work on. They’re things they’ll be taking with him once he makes his upcoming return to the Canucks’ lineup.
“Those are moments I could avoid, of course that hit was a little bit late, but it’s part of the game. When I look back, of course, there’s details, what I could do differently, but in that speed, in that moment, you're not thinking about those too much. And of course, I had a lot of time now to work on a lot of things. That hit is behind me now. I can learn from it and I cannot forget about it, because you can take so much stuff from it, but I have to work now to avoid those hits.”
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