Jakub Vrana clears waivers, remains on Detroit Red Wings payroll

Detroit Free Press

The 26-year-old top-line winger found no taker for his services on the waiver wire, where he was placed Tuesday. He already is on a conditioning stint with the Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

It speaks to how far Vrana has fallen on the Wings’ rebuilding depth chart that general manager Steve Yzerman was willing to risk losing a gifted scorer for nothing. But the Wings have not seen much of Vrana since acquiring him at the 2021 trade deadline: He missed 56 games last season recovering from shoulder surgery, and missed two months this season while placed in the players assistance program.

Few teams had space to carry his contract, which runs through next season with a $5.25 million salary cap hit.

TRENDING:Jakub Vrana is already in the AHL. Here’s what’s next for him and Detroit Red Wings

COACH SPEAKS:Red Wings send Alex Nedeljkovic to minors but ‘haven’t given up’ on him

The Wings placed Vrana on waivers Tuesday, in order to clear a roster spot to activate Robby Fabbri. They could have waived forward Adam Erne, a pending unrestricted free agent who does not appear to fit into the team’s future, but instead opted to gamble with a top-line forward.

Coach Derek Lalonde said earlier Wednesday the team didn’t want to go into details on the decision, and acknowledged it was a risky move.

“He does provide goals,” Lalonde said. “I think where he is in his game, too, you hope he gets back there, too. He’s getting his game back in order. He’s in a process of getting his game in order, hopefully to where he was. It’s all part of it. To his privacy, especially where he’s been over the last three or four months, I don’t think it would be fair to him to go through any of the details.”

In nearly two years with the Wings, Vrana has played 39 games. He has 22 goals and 10 assists, numbers that show how skilled he is offensively.

READ MORE:The scariest medical moments in Detroit sports history

READ MORE:Detroit sports bold predictions for 2023: Will any of these teams make the playoffs?

Lalonde said earlier this week Vrana’s conditioning stint in the minors would span the full two weeks possible. He was assigned to the Griffins on Dec. 27.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

Articles You May Like

NHL Rumors: Rangers, Senators, Red Wings
Red Wings Need Patrick Kane to Step Up
SSOTD: Flyers vs. Red Wings, 12/12/2024
Red Wings Prospect Report: Cossa, Danielson, Plante & More
SSOTD: Red Wings vs. Avalanche, 12/7/2024

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *