Did the Rangers make the right call with Chytil extension?

On Wednesday, the New York Rangers agreed to terms with forward Filip Chytil on a four-year contract extension that will kick in next season.

The deal will pay him just under $4.5 million annually. His current contract, which he signed with the Rangers in 2021, pays him $2.3 million per year.

At 23 years old, Chytil has already played in over 300 NHL games, as this is his fifth full season playing for the Rangers. The former first-round draft pick has played in 66 games this season and figures to be a part of New York’s long-term plans.

With this extension, he is guaranteed to be a key piece of the next era of Rangers hockey. That era has already arrived, of course, as other young players like Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, and Adam Fox are also regulars in the lineup.

Are the Rangers taking a gamble on Chytil?

In his 66 games this season, Chytil has recorded 22 goals and 20 assists for 42 points. Offensively, this has been a career year for him, as he demolished his previous high in goals (14) and nearly doubled his highest single-season point output (23).

He ranks fourth among Rangers skaters in goals and eighth in points this season.

His best season prior to the 2022-2023 campaign was the 2020-2021 season when he tallied 22 points in only 42 games. During his short time in the NHL, Chytil has been a consistent 20-point scorer for the Rangers.

This is really the first season that he has begun to develop into the star New York hoped he could become. With that being the case, did the Rangers go too far with this extension?

The hope is that this is the first in a string of seasons that propels him closer and closer to stardom, making him a staple of the Rangers’ roster for years to come. However, one year doesn’t prove that that will be the case.

To me, this deal will break one of two ways with no middle ground whatsoever. Either Chytil builds off of this season and this extension looks like a steal in a year or two, or 40-50 points turns out to be his ceiling, and New York will be stuck with a middle-six forward making too much money.

It’s important for teams to lock up their young players, and the Rangers did that with this extension. But, if Chytil plateaus and is the reason that New York couldn’t re-sign a player like Patrick Kane or Vladimir Tarasenko, this could quickly begin to look premature.