Photo: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill announced on Thursday that left-wing Jakub Vrana will undergo surgery on his shoulder and will miss at least four months.
Vrana missed the start of Red Wings training camp due to visa issues and injured himself 10 minutes into his first practice of camp.
The 25-year-old tallied 11 goals and 25 points in 39 games with the Capitals last season before getting traded to the Red Wings, along with right-wing Richard Panik, the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft in a deal that sent left-wing Anthony Mantha to Washington. In 11 games after the trade, Vrana recorded eight goals and 11 points.
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Vrana signed a three-year contract that carries a $5.25 million cap hit with the Red Wings over the summer.
Head coach Peter Laviolette scratched Vrana twice before the Capitals traded him and never seemed to click with the young Czech.
In 284 career games with the Capitals, Vrana has recorded 76 goals, 157 points, and a +36 rating. He set career-highs in goals (25) and points (52) in 69 games during the 2019-20 season. He has no points and a combined -8 rating in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games over the past two seasons when the Capitals were eliminated in the first round both times after recording three goals and eight points in 23 games during the 2018 tournament.
Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said he saw a “frustrated player” in Vrana in terms of his body language and the team wanted to move on from that.
The timeline will take Vrana out until at least January, forcing him to miss all of the Capitals-Red Wings meetings this season.
By Harrison Brown
Shame about the injury but better there than here. How severe was the injury in terms of what the surgery was for?
Not much being said about the type of shoulder injury. Apparently it happened 20 minutes into his first skate at training camp.