The Detroit Red Wings pulled off one of the NHL Trade Deadline’s biggest moves last month, acquiring forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik along with a 1st and 2nd round draft pick in exchange for underachieving forward Anthony Mantha.
And though it was a small sample size, Vrana and the Red Wings appear to be a match made in heaven.
Vrana scored eight goals (four in one game against the Dallas Stars) and three assists in the 11 games he appeared in with his new club, and showed that he can be the kind of impactful player that helped the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2018.
He’s now suiting up for his native Czech Republic in the IIHF World Championship, and he’s continuing his offensive ways. Through six games, he’s tallied two goals and two assists while playing alongside Red Wings teammates Filip Zadina and Filip Hronek.
Yesterday against Denmark, he assisted on the game-tying goal and also scored in the shootout to help his team to a win.
He’s a pending restricted free-agent, and we’re hopeful that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman can hammer out a deal that keeps him in the Motor City for a long time.
