For the first time this season, the New York Rangers played a game without Filip Chytil. And though they defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Sunday, it was not easy to assess exactly how the third line fared without its injured center. Chytil was back home ...

As concern grows about Chytil's future even without a long-term diagnosis, the Rangers might need to start thinking about filling his spot.

It’s possible that Chytil was fine and that the Rangers made the decision that with a 3-1 lead and the 25-year-old’s history of concussions, they would be cautious and not play him in the third period. If that’s the case, however, why would they have played him for one shift late in the second?