Rangers’ Filip Chytil leaves game vs. Sharks with upper-body injury

New York Rangers’ forward Filip Chytil left Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks with an upper-body injury. The team announced on social media that he would not return.

Chytil left the game after he collided with teammate K’Andre Miller in the second period and went straight to the locker room.

Chytil briefly returned to the bench, but after the second intermission, the team confirmed he was out for the night.

The 25-year-old forward went into Thursday’s game with four goals and five assists for nine points through 14 games with the Rangers this season. Now in his eighth NHL campaign, Chytil has 68 goals and 85 assists for 153 points in 351 career regular-season games.

Chytil only played 10 regular-season games last season, missing nearly the entire year after suffering a concussion last November. In January, New York ruled him out for the entire regular season. He returned to play in Game 3 of the Rangers’ second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, and would end up playing six Stanley Cup Playoff games during New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Taken No. 21 overall by the Rangers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Chytil has carved out a role for himself as a reliable depth forward in New York’s lineup. He broke out offensively in 2022-23, scoring 22 goals and 23 assists for 45 points, all career highs.

Internationally, Chytil has represented his native Czech Republic multiple times, and helped them win gold at the 2016 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He also took part in the 2018 World Junior Championships, and has appeared in three World Championships.

Going into the night, the Rangers had a record of 9-4-1 with 19 points, four in the Metropolitan Division and holding onto the No. 1 Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.