The future has arrived at Madison Square Garden in the form of 2017 first-round draft picks Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson. On Sunday, the Rangers recalled the pair of promising centers ahead of Monday’s home meeting against the Washington Capitals.
Chytil, 18, and Andersson, 19, are expected to be key components to the Rangers’ youth movement. After appearing in two NHL games in October, Chytil skated in 45 AHL games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, registering 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points. Andersson will make his NHL debut Monday. He collected five goals and nine assists in 24 AHL games.
The timing of the duo’s arrival was tied to entry-level contract slide rules. Both Chytil and Andersson are eligible to finish the season with the Rangers without burning the first year of their respective entry-level contracts. With seven games remaining, they will both fall under the threshold and slide the first year of their respective entry-level contracts to next season.
Here is a deeper explanation from the website CapFriendly:
Chytil was drafted 21st overall last summer because of his two-way smarts, tenacious play, superb skating and playmaking upside. The 6-foot-2 Czech made his NHL debut on opening night after impressing throughout a preseason that earned him the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award as the organization’s top training camp rookie.
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His 31 AHL points are tied for the 12th most for a player younger than 19 years in any season in AHL history. Chytil leads all AHL players younger than 20 in goals and points per game (0.69) and ranks second among all AHL players younger than 20 years old in assists and points this season.
“His understanding of positioning in his defensive zone, forechecking and faceoffs are beyond his years of age,” Rangers director of player personnel Gordie Clark said of Chytil earlier this season. “He will use his sense, speed, size and strength to become a top-six forward and a playmaking center in the NHL.”
USA TODAY Images Prior to joining the Wolf Pack, Andersson skated in 22 Swedish Hockey League (SHL) games for Frolunda HC this season, recording seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. At the time of his departure to the AHL, Andersson ranked second among SHL players younger than 20 in goals and points this season.
“I like Lias’ game a lot,” Wolf Pack coach Keith McCambridge said of Andersson in February. “I think he’s skating well, he’s learning to be in areas of the ice that are a little bit different from over in Europe.”
“He’s a hell of a player, (and) fans will love him,” Clark said earlier this season. “He’s got a combination of grit and the (scoring) ability that we’ve been looking for.”
The next two games on the Rangers’ schedule are a Monday-Wednesday home-and-home against the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals. Chytil and Andersson will be tested against a playoff-bound roster stacked with elite-level stars in Rocket Richard trophy contender Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson.
Following the two dates against Washington, the Rangers will play their final regular season home game against the Presidents’ Trophy-contending Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. The Rangers will close out the final four games of the regular season on the road against Metropolitan Division rivals in the Carolina Hurricanes, Devils, Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers.
This late-season showcase will allow Chytil and Andersson to cut their teeth in the show against several playoff-bound opponents. Should they fare well in these seven games, the Chytil-Andersson tandem could be set for an extended run on Broadway next season.