Canucks’ Chytil, Lekkerimäki exit Sunday’s game against Capitals with injury
The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 on Sunday afternoon, but they lost two forwards in the process.
The team announced that Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimäki left the game with injury with no chance to return.
Forwards Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimäki will not return to today’s game.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 19, 2025Chytil left the game after taking a hard, arguably late hit in the neutral zone from Washington’s Tom Wilson. After review, Wilson was not penalized for the hit.
Tom Wilson lays a heavy hit on Filip Chytil.
Chytil went to the dressing room, and after review, there was no penalty on the play. pic.twitter.com/PticaE7LUo
Chytil has dealt with multiple concussions, including most recently in March earlier this calendar year. The former New York Ranger was dealt to Vancouver midway through last season as part of the trade that sent J.T. Miller to New York. A first-round pick in 2017, Chytil never broke out as hoped with the Rangers, and is looking to rejuvenate his career now in Vancouver. The Czech national had two goals and four assists in 15 games with the Canucks last year, and has no goals and three assists in five games this year.
Wilson has a known history of playing “on the edge”, having already been suspended six times over the course of his career. It remains to be seen if Wilson will see any discipline for this hit on Chytil, but the fact it wasn’t penalized after review suggests he won’t face anything major.
Lekkerimäki suffered his injury as the result of a check along the boards by Washington’s Matt Roy.
Here’s the play where Jonathan Lekkerimäki was injured after a hit from Matt Roy.
Looks like a right arm, shoulder or collarbone injury, but that’s why @Harjas_Grewal is on Twitter, a real doctor who would know.
(Excuse the potato quality recording). #Canucks pic.twitter.com/naDan9gUk3
Lekkerimäki, the Canucks’ first-round draft pick in 2022, is hoping to establish himself as a fixture in Vanouver’s lineup after having played 24 games in the NHL last season. The Swedish national had just three goals and three assists with the Canucks last season, and has just a goal in three games played this year.
After Sunday’s game, the Canucks will hit the road to play the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday, followed by the Nashville Predators Thursday.