Quick handling of the puck and a shot under the cover, then a shot from the power play and in between an assist on Sammy Blaise’s goal, that was Vrán’s resume in the game with Columbus.
“The whole line contributed to those goals. Boys are winning battles behind the goal and that creates chances. I was free, I had space, so I finished. Next time it could be someone else. Of course I’m happy for those goals, but it was still a defeat,” Vrána evaluated the 3:5 result. “We started playing pretty good hockey only from the second period. We created a lot of chances, some worked, some didn’t. That’s how it goes sometimes,” sighed the 27-year-old forward.
Since arriving in Missouri after being traded from Detroit, he has mostly heard nothing but praise. Where they couldn’t or didn’t want to use Vrána after his return from the Red Wings’ assistance program, the Blues’ Czech reinforcements are now strong. A place in the first two lines of the powerhouse position.
“If you look at his talent, even in his worst form, he is a player in the third formation,” praised the general manager of St. Louis Doug Armstrong.
In addition, a solid partner in the form of Kevin Hayes began to emerge for Vrán for the next few weeks. The summer signing from Philadelphia has an effective game on both sides of the ice, can win pucks and distribute them well. When you add in the Crow’s turn on the gate and endgame, this combination could work great.
“Haysy’s been in the league for a number of years, he’s got a lot of experience,” Vrána said of the 31-year-old center, who played 634 games for the NY Rangers, Winnipeg and Flyers. “He knows what to do. We’re trying to work together on system stuff, but it’s getting better and better. I feel good about it.”
The Crow could use a quality support force. He is in the final year of a three-year deal that pays him $5.25 million per season. Statistics and their trend are always looked at when negotiating a new contract.
When the Crow in St. Louis discovered in early March of this year, he also wanted to prove how wrong Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman was when he traded him. The Czech forward scored ten goals in 20 starts. And if he could use forty of them in a full season, he certainly wouldn’t be angry. Although Vrán’s maximum for now is 25 hits from Washington’s 2019-20 season.
“He is skilled, has good hands, speed and a quality shot. If he does what he has to, he will score those goals,” said the coach of St. Louis Craig Berube.
