Filip Chytil placed on injured reserve after preseason collision; Canucks call injury week-to-week

# What happened Filip Chytil was placed on injured reserve by the Vancouver Canucks, with the move retroactive to Sept. 24. The 27-year-old forward was hurt late in the first period of a preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers when his skate tangled with referee Riley Brace and he was driven into the end boards. Chytil finished the game with 4:54 of ice time and one shot on goal before leaving down the tunnel with a trainer and not returning.

# Injury details and team update General Manager Ryan Johnson described the injury as a muscular strain to Chytil's right shoulder. Johnson said Chytil was in good spirits at Friday's practice and that the team is evaluating the injury. He characterised Chytil's status as week-to-week and said there was nothing at that point that looked alarming.

# Immediate roster impact The timing comes four days before the regular season opener and reduces the Canucks' depth at centre for the preseason finale. With Chytil injured, Braeden Cootes sent down, and Aatu Räty having reached his preseason-game limit as a veteran, the Canucks had three natural centres available for the final tune-up: Elias Pettersson, Marco Rossi and Max Sasson.

Head coach Manny Malhotra's practice lines indicated Paul Cotter will skate as the fourth-line centre for the preseason finale, centred alongside Arshdeep Bains and Brendan Gallagher.

# Why this matters now Chytil had been in the mix for a bottom-six centre role for the regular season. Losing him to an early injury forces the team to confirm who will handle those minutes in the short term and may change how the Canucks allocate matchup minutes once the regular season starts. The roster moves ahead of opening night will reflect both Chytil's recovery timeline and how the coaching staff values internal options such as Max Sasson and Aatu Räty once they are available.

# What to watch next

• Team medical updates: any new specifics about the shoulder, imaging results, or changes to the timeline. Johnson's initial description was week-to-week, so watch for status reports over the coming days.
• Final roster decisions: whether the Canucks carry a replacement centre on the NHL roster or adjust lines to cover Chytil's role. Braeden Cootes was cut and will begin in Abbotsford.
• Usage when Chytil returns: how the coaching staff slots him back into the lineup and whether the injury affects his role or minutes.

Saturday. Expect the team to use that game to test the lineup without Chytil and to get a clearer read on readiness for the regular-season opener.