Two weeks have passed since the Detroit Red Wings dealt four players at the trade deadline — that’s not much time — but enough for at least one of those players to make an impression.
Jakub Vrana, whose two years with the Wings were marked by turbulence, has four goals in five games since a challenging start to his time with the St. Louis Blues (he was traded the morning of the deadline, March 3, and the winter storm that blanketed much of the country that day caused him to be delayed in catching up with the Blues, who were on a west coast trip at the time).
Vrana scored twice Wednesday, giving him four goals his in his past four games. He had to wear a full face mask after taking a skate blade to the face during the morning skate.
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Vrana put up similar numbers with the Wings: 8 goals in 11 games after arriving at the 2021 trade deadline, when Yzerman acquired Vrana, a 2021 first-round pick and 2022 second-round pick from the Washington Capitals for Anthony Mantha. Vrana followed up with 13 goals in 26 games in 2021-22.
But as talented as he was, Vrana’s time with the Wings was marked by absences. He showed up late for camp in 2021, and left after 10 minutes on the ice because of a shoulder injury that had nagged since the end of the previous season. He ended up needing surgery, and didn’t play until March 1.
This season, he was placed in the players assistance program Oct. 15, and reinstated Dec. 16. He played two games before his absence, scoring once, and three games after returning, yielding one goal in five games.
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On March 3, the Wings agreed to retain 50% of Vrana’s contract, which runs through 2023-24 with a $5.25 million salary cap hit. The return was a seventh-round pick in 2025 and a minor-league player — basically, the least possible. Yzerman kept his comments at the time limited.
“I don’t think I can really go into details on a lot of the things that have gone on,” Yzerman said. “I would just say I wish Jakub the best of luck in his hockey career and on…