The Washington Capitals have re-assigned Jakub Vrana to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
The re-assignment could mean that Andre Burakovsky is close to returning to the lineup. Burakovsky suffered an injury to his right hand blocking a shot against the Detroit Red Wings on February 9th. Burakovkay is slated to participate in his first full practice today. He has missed 15 games.
It is possible that the Capitals could make another recall, prior to their trip to Tampa, as the current roster is down to 12 forwards. The Capitals are currently $115,111 under the salary cap, as per Cap Friendly.
The Capitals leave for Tampa this afternoon, in advance of their game against the Lightning on Saturday night. The team has played road games with just 12 forwards.
FROM CAPITALS MEDIA RELEASE:
Vrana, 21, recorded six points (3g, 3a) in 21 games with the Capitals this season. The Prague, Czech Republic, native made his NHL debut on Dec. 1 against the Islanders and scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 9 at Buffalo. Vrana tallied his first multi-point game with two assists on Dec. 13 against the Islanders. He was drafted by the Capitals in the first round, 13th overall, in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Vrana registered 26 points (14g, 12a) in 36 games with Hershey this season and ranks fifth on the team in goals. He registered 34 points (16g, 18a) in 36 games as a rookie with Hershey in 2015-16 and ranked fourth among Bears skaters in power-play goals (5), tied for fifth in goals (16) and tied for sixth in points (34). In addition, he ranked second on the team in points per game (0.94) after missing a majority of the regular season due to injury. Vrana has tallied 65 points (30g, 35a) in 75 career AHL games with Hershey.
By Jon Sorensen
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