Filip Chytil is back, and the Vancouver Canucks are wasting no time putting him into the middle of a reshuffled lineup.
After leaving the preseason opener almost immediately because of injury, Chytil is set to make his season debut Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. It’s a return the Canucks have been waiting on, and one Chytil sounded eager for after the morning skate.
“I can’t wait to play a game,” said Chytil after the team’s morning skate. “It’s been a long time since I played my last game, so I’m very excited for that.”
The injury history around Chytil has become hard to ignore. He appeared in just 12 games for Vancouver last season, and before that, he played only 10 games for the New York Rangers in 2023-24. Over the summer, he studied video of NHL players who operate at a similar pace, trying to figure out how to stay healthy without sacrificing speed.
His first in-game test didn’t last long. Chytil ran into a referee and crashed headfirst into the boards, ending his preseason outing almost before it began. This time, the good news is that he avoided another concussion and missed only three weeks with a shoulder injury.
Now he gets thrown right into a matchup with a Panthers team that Manny Malhotra described as tough to handle all over the ice.
“They’re going to forecheck you relentlessly, they’re going to make it tough defensively to get to the inside, and it’s going to be a physical affair,” said head coach Manny Malhotra. “Those are the things you come to expect from [the Panthers].”
Chytil’s return also helped trigger a roster move earlier in the week, with Aatu Räty placed on waivers Wednesday.
The lineup changes don’t stop there. The Canucks are also altering their defence pairs, and the projected group shows a younger look on the back end. Luke Schenn is expected to sit out in favor of Victor Mancini, creating a third pair with Mancini and Zeev Buium.
Up front, the biggest shift is where Chytil lands. According to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, the Canucks are projected to roll with these lines:
Jake DeBrusk - Elias Pettersson - Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Liam Öhgren - Marco Rossi - Linus Karlsson
Paul Cotter - Filip Chytil - Brock Boeser
Drew O’Connor - Max Sasson - Brendan Gallagher
Elias Pettersson - Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak - Tom Willander
Zeev Buium - Victor Mancini
Leevi Meriläinen
Kevin Lankinen
Öhgren is back beside Marco Rossi on the second line, which pushes Cotter down to Chytil’s wing with Brock Boeser. That setup gives Chytil two wingers who can finish, while his own speed remains the trait Vancouver is counting on most.
“One of his major assets is his speed,” said Malhotra. “That level of speed that he brings changes the dynamic of our group.”
In goal, Leevi Meriläinen is expected to start, which would be his second straight appearance and his first time doing that this season.
The Panthers arrive with a 3-2-2 record and still plenty of bite even without Aleksander Barkov, who is out six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury. They’re coming off a 7-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and still have a lineup that can make life miserable for opponents.
Florida’s projected lines also include a familiar name with Canucks ties in Jacob Markstrom, though he is out injured. That leaves backup Akira Schmid as the expected starter, with the possibility that the Panthers use the game to give 6’8″ Cooper Black his first NHL start.
Projected Panthers lines:
Brady Tkachuk - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Sandis Vilmanis
Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Reinhart - Lars Eller
Bokondji Imama - Sam Lafferty - Garnet Hathaway
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola - Seth Jones
Kulikov - Uvis Balinskis
Akira Schmid
Cooper Black
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Will Want To See Chytils Next Step In Vancouver
Filip Chytil is on the verge of finally getting into the Vancouver lineup, giving the Canucks another look at a player whose arrival has been delayed by a shoulder injury. He has been out for the first eight games, but the club is now setting up for his season debut as it heads into a meeting with the Florida Panthers, a matchup that also comes with Leevi Merilainen and Akira Schmid projected to handle the crease.
To make room, Vancouver moved center Aatu Raty off the roster, a sign the team is ready to see what Chytil can add once he is healthy. For the Canucks, the timing matters because they are trying to get their center depth sorted while the schedule keeps rolling, and for Rangers fans still tracking Chytils path, this is the next checkpoint in a season that is only just starting for him. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Sent A Troubling Message About Aatu Rty
Aatu Rtys season has taken an early detour, with the young Canucks forward moving out of Vancouvers NHL picture for now and heading to Abbotsford. Rty appeared in just four games this season and saw limited ice time before the organization decided to shift him to the AHL, where he will join a center group that already includes Ty Mueller, Braeden Cootes and Chase Wouters.
For Rty, it is a notable step back after spending the entire 2025-26 season in the NHL, and it underscores how crowded the middle of Vancouvers lineup has become. He has been productive in the minors before, piling up 119 points in 169 career AHL games, but this move suggests the Canucks need him to reset and stay ready for another opening when it comes. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Made An Aatu Raty Move Fans Will Debate
The Canucks made a notable roster move shortly before facing the Florida Panthers, sending centreman Aatu Rty to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a swap announced by general manager Ryan Johnson. Vancouver is getting two young forwards with professional experience in Jacob Quillan and Brandon Buhr, adding another layer to a deal that shifts a promising depth piece out of the organization.
Rtys move also sends him into a Toronto mix that already includes several former Canucks, which gives the trade a familiar cast for both sides. For Vancouver, the timing alone makes it a conversation starter, with the front office choosing to act at a moment when the lineup was already headed into game-night mode. [Read more 🡒]