Canucks’ Filip Chytil leaves preseason game after collision with referee

Some players just can’t seem to stay out of harm’s way.

Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil was forced to leave Thursday’s preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers after accidentally tripping over the back of referee Riley Brace’s skates and colliding head first into the end boards.

The Canucks have since confirmed that Chytil will not return to the game. No update has been provided as to the exact nature or severity of any injury he may have sustained.

This bizarre incident is the latest in the long line of bad breaks that have befallen Chytil during his NHL career. Last season, he missed 44 games with an upper-body injury, missed another game with a migrain, and then suffered a facial fracture after getting struck by a deflected shot while standing by the side of the net during a Canucks practice.

Due to his string of injuries, the Czech national was only able to appear in 12 games for Vancouver last season, notching three goals and no assists.

The Canucks acquired Chytil, along with defenseman Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick, from the New York Rangers midway through the 2024-25 season in exchange for forward T.J. Miller, defenseman Erik Brannstom, and defenseman Jackson Dorrington. In 15 games for Vancouver following the trade, he had two goals and four assists for six points.

Vancouver is certainly hoping the 27-year-old Chytil has avoided a concussion, as he has already been diagnosed with five concussions in his relatively young career.

The 2017 first-round draft pick is entering the final season of a four-year, $17.75 million contract. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, and is likely hoping to rediscover his career-best form from the 2022-23 season with the Rangers when he put up 22 goals and 23 assists for 45 points in 74 games.