*Photo from The Hockey News*
The Washington Capitals have invited free agent forward Jakub Vrana to training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) contract, the team announced Thursday.
After being taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft by the Capitals, Vrana spent the first 4 1/2 seasons of his NHL career in DC before he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Vrana has had a few disappointing seasons in a row, and the Capitals will try to see if they can get the 28 year old back to old form by returning to his old team.
Last season, Vrana played for both the St. Louis Blues and their AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds. He potted two goals and 4 assists while averaging 12:08 of ice time in 21 games with the Blues. In the AHL, he had 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 42 games.
Vrana was traded from Washington to Detroit along with Richard Panik and two draft picks as the Capitals got forward Anthony Mantha in the Covid shortened 2021 season. After a strong first impression with the Red Wings, the team signed him to a 3 year contract. Things went downhill for Vrana after that.
He didn't play until March of 2022 in year one of the contract due to a shoulder injury, only getting in 26 games. Not long after the start of the 2022-2023 season, Vrana entered the joint NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and didn't return until February. He played in just 5 games before being traded to the Blues. He played 20 games with the Blues before spending most of last season with Springfield.
In a Capitals uniform, Vrana excelled to start his career. He has 76 goals and 81 assists for 157 points with the Capitals, averaging 13:41 of ice time per game with a +36 rating in 284 games. He won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2017-2018 after a 3 goal, 5 assist run in 23 playoff games.
Currently, only Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and TJ Oshie are the remaining players from the 2017-2018 championship team. If Vrana makes the roster for 2024-2025, he'll be the 6th player from the team on the current roster.
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