Filip Chytil is set to play for the first time since the hit he took from Tom Wilson in Washington on October 19, 2025. With Blueger returning on Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals, and Chytil potentially returning tonight against the New Jersey Devils, the Vancouver Canucks will be adding some much-needed centre depth to their lineup.

However, given the injury concerns, is it as simple as slotting Chytil back into the middle of the ice? What role can we expect him to take on after missing so much time? These are questions that we’ll likely find out after the game on Friday night. But let’s take our best guess at some possible forward line combinations the Canucks could ice once Chytil returns.

Given the aforementioned centre depth issue, particularly the lack of another top-six centreman, the Canucks coaching staff may feel he’s ready for top-six deployment down the middle of the ice right away.

Here’s our first lineup arrangement:

DeBrusk-Pettersson-Boeser
Öhgren-Chytil-Kane
O’Connor-Blueger-Garland
Höglander-Kämpf-Karlsson

If Chytil is going to play centre, having bigger wingers to insulate him a bit would be a smart option. Not only that, but both Evander Kane and Liam Öhgren have shown some offensive ability recently that would complement Chytil’s playmaking ability.

Kane and Öhgren would be able to handle the majority of the forechecking and play below the circles in the offensive zone, which would give Chytil the chance to play a bit more passively and find the soft spots in the offensive zone. They are also capable puck carriers through the neutral zone, and could take that pressure off Chytil in his return to the lineup.

If they’re going to give him this kind of deployment, it would be crucial that the coaching staff gives him a reliable duo on the wing that can take a lot of pressure off the Czech centreman.

Now let’s try something different and see how Chytil would look on the wing:

Kane-Pettersson-DeBrusk
O’Connor-Kämpf-Boeser
Chytil-Blueger-Garland
Öhgren-Sasson-Karlsson

This lineup is very similar to what they had against the Capitals on Wednesday; we’re just sliding Öhgren down and taking Höglander out of the lineup, which Adam Foote has not been shy of doing in the past.

The O’Connor, Kämpf, and Boeser line looked good the other night, so they’ve likely earned themselves another look in the coach’s eyes. Giving Chytil two defensively reliable players in Garland and Blueger could benefit him by alleviating the defensive responsibilities he would have as a centre in his return to the lineup.

Garland, being an excellent puck carrier, also takes that pressure off him. This line would allow him to match up against the Devils’ third line, giving him a softer matchup and a lesser role, just allowing him to settle in early on as he tries to find his game once again.

The third option might be the simplest and most conservative, but it does make sense.

Kane-Pettersson-DeBrusk
O’Connor-Kämpf-Boeser
Öhgren-Blueger-Garland
Höglander-Chytil-Karlsson

Swapping Sasson out for Chytil, giving him around 10 minutes of ice time and a very soft deployment, could be the right thing to do to ease him back into the fast pace of the game.

It’s not easy coming back from a head injury, both physically and mentally. Playing Chytil on the fourth line to start would make sense. Maybe he plays his way up the lineup throughout the game, but at least starting him off there allows him to play a bit more stress-free. Höglander and Karlsson are aggressive on the forecheck, and Höglander has some of that puck-carrying ability to ease that pressure off Chytil as well.

Having Chytil back in the lineup is a huge win for this team. It certainly hasn’t been the season fans hoped for, but getting him back in the lineup is nothing but positive for this group. The biggest thing is, in his return, there shouldn’t be any expectations. Let Chytil take a bit of time to find his game. There’s no rush for him to start putting up points and producing offensively; this team’s not in any kind of playoff hunt.

The most important thing for Chytil, in both the short and long term, is staying healthy and regaining his confidence to be the player Canucks fans know he can be.

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