The New York Rangers benched rookie Filip Chytil for Wednesday's loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning and it doesn't appear he will be in the lineup anytime soon.

Rangers head coach David Quinn said prior to Wednesday's game that the plan is to sit the 19-year-old for an extended period as they hope to see more consistency in his game.

“Yes,” Quinn said, per the New York Post. “[I need to see] the consistent effort I know he’s capable of giving. By no stretch of the imagination does he show up trying to be lazy or not work hard, [but] I think part of the learning curve for a young player is to redefine what hard work is.

“I think he’s just going through that and going through what a lot of 19-year-olds go through, learning how to redefine what hard work is, redefining what compete is. It is non-negotiable and it has to happen shift in and shift out.”

Chytil, selected 21st overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, has 10 goals and 20 points in 60 games this season with a minus-17 rating. He has just one goal and two points in his last 13 games though, and Quinn said sitting out is what the team believes is best for his development.

“I’m not surprised,” Quinn added. “It’s not odd. It’s not abnormal for a 19-year-old to sit out. He’s sat out [three] games so far this year and he’s going to sit out a few more. Over the grand scheme of things it’s not that big of a deal. It seems like it is because we’re going through it right now but when the dust settles and the season ends and he comes back with the level of play we all anticipate him to come back with, this isn’t going to be talked about.”

“Filip has had some great stretches here and he’s going to be a great player for us. This is part of the learning curve and development.”

The Rangers, who traded veterans Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello and Adam McQuaid at the deadline, sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with 64 points in 63 games this season.