The New York Rangers announced that Filip Chytil will miss the remainder of the season. The promising 24-year-old center set career-highs in goals (22) and assists (23) in 74 games last season. However, he suffered a suspected concussion on Nov. 2 and then had a setback in practice as he attempted to return.
Unfortunately, the Rangers have a long history of players dealing with career-altering concussions. Star forwards Eric Lindros and Rick Nash both had their careers cut short after suffering many concussions, and both retired when they were just 34. Additionally, in the early 2010s, Michael Sauer and Marc Staal, two of the Rangers’ best defensemen, both suffered career-changing concussions with very different results.
Michael Sauer
The Rangers drafted Sauer in the second round of the 2005 NHL Draft with a pick they acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Brian Leetch trade. Many fans criticized the trade as they lost arguably their greatest player ever, and no one they acquired played more than 100 games with New York. However, during 2010-11, it looked like the team had found a reliable top-four defenseman in Sauer.
Sauer spent three consecutive seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) but got a taste of playing in the NHL when he played three games with the Rangers in 2008-09. He had three goals and nine assists in 42 games while playing in the AHL in 2009-10.
In 2009-10, Sauer made the Rangers opening night lineup and began the season playing on their third defense pair. For the first couple of months, he averaged under 15 minutes in ice time per game, but he made the most of his opportunity. At 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, he was a physical presence and dropped the gloves to stick up for teammates multiple times. He also played very well defensively and proved to be one of the team’s most reliable defensemen.
Midway through the season, the Rangers called up defense prospect Ryan McDonagh and paired him with Sauer. The two rookies excelled, and they quickly established themselves as top-four defensemen. McDonagh made his debut on Jan. 7, and from that game on, Sauer averaged more than 20 minutes in ice time per game.
Sauer finished the season with three goals and 12 assists in 76 games and was a plus-20, which was the best on the Rangers. He was a modern shutdown defenseman. He had impressive speed and a heavy slap shot. He played with physicality and, most importantly, made smart decisions with and without the puck.
In 2010-11, Sauer picked up where he left off, with one goal, two assists, and a plus-nine in 19 games. On Dec. 5, in the third period of a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dion Phaneuf caught Sauer with his head down and delivered a big but clean check. The hit knocked the 24-year-old’s helmet off, and he hit his head on the boards. He skated off under his own power and went right to the locker room. He never played again.
A few months after the injury, there was optimism that Sauer was improving and could return that season. However, the symptoms from the injury lingered, and he was unable to return for the 2012-13 season. After that season, his contract expired, and he did not receive a qualifying offer. As the years went by, the hopes of a return slowly faded.
One of the saddest parts about the abrupt end to Sauer’s career is his older brother Kurt Sauer also had his career ended prematurely because of a concussion. He suffered the injury while playing for the Phoenix Coyotes on a jarring hit in a preseason game ahead of the 2009-10 season. He played in the season opener, but he continued to deal with lingering symptoms. He was just 28 when he played his final NHL game.
Marc Staal
While Sauer’s career came to a heartbreaking conclusion, Staal, who the Rangers also drafted in 2005 (number 12 overall), also dealt with concussions that at one time put his career in jeopardy.
Related: Former Ranger Marc Staal’s Unlikely Path to the Stanley Cup Final
Staal made his NHL debut in 2007-08 and quickly proved he deserved a spot on the roster, as he formed chemistry with defense partner Dan Girardi. By 2008-09, they were top-four defensemen, and by 2009-10, they were the Rangers’ top defense pair.
At 6-foot-4, Staal was a physical presence who delivered crushing open ice hits. From the start of his rookie season, he played well defensively and, after a couple of seasons, got more comfortable with the puck and looked to join the rush more often. He had eight goals, 19 assists, and was plus-11 during the 2009-10 season.
In 2010-11, Staal continued to play at a very high level but suffered a concussion after taking a big hit from his older brother, Eric Staal, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22. He only missed five games and played well once he returned but suffered post-concussion symptoms that offseason.
Staal missed the first 36 games of the 2011-12 season, and for a while, he did not look like the same player he was before the injury. He had two goals and three assists in 46 games and was minus-7. However, he played much better in the postseason and had three goals and three assists in 20 games, including a clutch overtime goal in Game 5 of the Rangers’ second-round matchup with the Washington Capitals.
In 2012-13, Staal built on his strong postseason play and was off to an excellent start with two goals and nine assists in 21 games. In a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 5, Staal suffered a serious eye injury when a slap shot deflected and hit him in the right eye. At the time, he did not wear a visor. He sustained a retinal tear and a broken orbital bone. He missed the rest of the regular season and attempted to return in the postseason but was shut down for the postseason after playing in just one game.
Staal suffered permanent damage to his eye, and there was no guarantee he would play again. Amazingly, he returned for the start of the 2013-14 season but suffered another concussion in a game against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 7. Once again, there was concern for his long-term health. But he returned after missing 10 games and ended up helping the Rangers make a run to the Stanley Cup Final that postseason.
Staal spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Rangers and is currently playing for the Flyers in his 17th season. He has played 1,118 regular season games and 128 playoff games.
For Chytil Moving Forward
Unfortunately, Sauer’s injury is a reminder that there is no timeline when recovering from a concussion, and sadly, there is no guarantee that a player will ever fully recover. However, Staal’s recovery from concussions and his eye injury is a reminder that there is still the possibility of a recovery and return to play.
The Rangers did the smart thing in shutting down Chytil for the season. Now, the hope is that he can slowly start to get better. It is also important to remember that to be cleared to play again, he will not only have to recover from this injury, but he will have to be able to consistently take hits in a collision sport. Right now, a return to playing is secondary, and the primary focus should be making sure he can lead a happy and healthy life.