Capitals Bring Jakub Vrana Back on PTO Agreement

The Washington Capitals are bringing back a familiar face for their upcoming 2024 Training Camp. The team announced that forward Jakub Vrana is joining the team on a professional tryout agreement. Vrana last played for the St. Louis Blues in 2023-24. He suited up in 21 games for the club and scored two goals and registered four assists for six points.

Vrana last played for the Capitals during the 2020-21 campaign. He was part of a deal former GM Brian MacLellan struck with the Detroit Red Wings on April 12, 2021. He was sent to Detroit; along with Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick. Washington acquired forward Anthony Mantha in return.

Jakub Vrana in the Motor City

A lot happened in between Jakub Vrana leaving D.C. and making his tryout return today. The rest of the 2020-21 season had Vrana play in 11 games for the Red Wings. He scored eight goals and registered three assists for 11 points. He was a member of Detroit’s squad up until midway through the 2022-23 campaign. While in the Motor City, Vrana tallied the following stats:

• 2020-21: eight goals and three assists for 11 points in 11 games
• 2021-22: 13 goals and six assists for 19 points in 26 games
• 2022-23: one goal and one assist for two points in five games

While with Detroit, Vrana entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in October 2022. My colleague Bob Duff at Detroit Hockey Now wrote a great piece about Vrana discussing his past substance abuse issues. I recommend giving it a read.

During the 2022-23 hockey season, Vrana spent a little time in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. In 17 games, he scored six goals and collected five assists for 11 points. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman then traded Vrana to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Vrana played in 41 total games for the Blues between the remaining part of 2022-23 and the entire 2023-24 campaign. He posted 12 goals and eight assists for 20 points. Vrana also suited up for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL this past season. He got 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 42 games for Springfield. Now, the 28-year-old finds himself back to the Capitals where it all began.

Jakub Vrana Coming Back to First NHL Home

Vrana returns to D.C. after parts of five seasons that were successful. He was drafted by the Capitals with the 13th overall selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He put up some of his best statistics while donning a Washington jersey. Vrana was a two-time 20+ goal scorer and accrued a career high 52 points in 2019-20 (25 goals and 27 assists). While with the Capitals, he produced the following numbers:

• 2016-17: three goals and three assists for six points in 21 games
• 2017-18: 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 73 games
• 2018-19: 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points in 82 games
• 2019-20: 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points in 69 games
• 2020-21: 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 39 games

The Capitals are getting a player who was fast when he was there the first time. His speed was built for the current NHL game. It is one of his best attributes, and one of the big reasons why he was crucial to the Stanley Cup-winning team in 2018. During that championship postseason run, Vrana scored three goals and five assists for eight points in 23 games.

Jakub Vrana won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018. (Wikipedia)

This is a good move by Capitals GM Chris Patrick. He and head coach Spencer Carbery can see what Vrana brings during training camp and the preseason. There is a lot of great talent at forward for Washington already. They added talents like Andrew Mangiapane and Pierre-Luc Dubois to a roster that already had Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson, and Connor McMichael among others. Vrana could be a depth addition that strengthens the forward group even more. If things go well, maybe he is in the lineup for the Capitals or he starts 2024-25 off in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. There are multiple ways this could play out. When camp arrives, fans can see how he gels in with the rest of the team and then go from there.