The suffering of Jakub Vrána continues. One of the best Czech scorers in recent years still didn’t score a goal at the Detroit hockey farm, and he ended up among the healthy substitutes.
When he returned in mid-December after two months from the assistance program of the NHL and the players’ association NHLPA, which helps hockey players in case of psychological problems or addictions, optimists assumed that he would start scoring goals again in the best league in the world.
However, the 26-year-old Vrána is still being sought. On the farm in Grand Rapids, where he was originally supposed to undergo only a short fitness stay, he has only one assist and six minus points in the evaluation of his time on the ice after six games. In the last three duels, he shot only three times. No, that doesn’t look like a promotion.
At the same time, Detroit, which is below average in the league offensively, would be a good fit.
“It’s easy to say let’s call up Vrana when we’re not scoring goals. But he has zero goals after six games in Grand Rapids. The hope is his potential,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde believes that Vrana will break the shooting woes.
Since the exchange from Washington to the Red Wings, the Czech winger has been among the ten best scorers in the competition in terms of goals per game.
But he missed a lot of duels. He missed most of last season due to a shoulder injury and played only two games in the current season before joining the aforementioned assistance program.
Now surprisingly, he is also struggling on the farm. In the last game against Iowa, the Minnesota farm, he even remained among the healthy substitutes. 30-year-old Kyle Criscuolo stepped in to replace him.
However, it should be noted that performance may not have been the only or main reason. The farm AHL is primarily the league where the NHL develops its players. The rule is that you can put a maximum of six “greasers” on the field, i.e. hockey players who have already played a certain number of duels in professional competitions. The Grand Rapids Griffins have more of these players, so sometimes there is no room left for some.
In any case, it is getting louder and louder from the overseas media that Vrána’s relationship with Detroit has deteriorated.
One of the symptoms is Steve Yzerman’s move from early January, when the Red Wings general manager placed the Czech forward on the list of unprotected players due to overpressure in the squad. Thanks to that, he could leave him on the farm. But at the same time, he risked losing it without compensation. However, this did not happen, as no competing club showed interest.
“Vrána is only 26 years old, but he clearly does not fit into the future plans of the Red Wings,” Ansar Khan of the MLive website assessed the situation.
According to him and other journalists, an exchange is likely, but it is complicated by Vrán’s contract with an annual salary of 5.25 million dollars for this and next season. Detroit would likely have to retain a portion of the player’s salary.
The crow, meanwhile, hopes to break through the game’s misery. “I know I’m not playing the way I can play,” he admits. “Now it’s about what I’m going to do about it. I just have to keep working and focus on what I can influence. I hope to prove the naysayers wrong.”
