Vrana flies high for Wings
It's a trade that will no doubt be debated for many years.
The Washington Capitals had to be feeling good when forward Anthony Mantha potted a goal in each of his first four games after coming over in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings for forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, along with a first-round pick and a second-round pick.
Watching Mantha's quick start with Washington might have had a few Detroit fans second-guessing the deal, until Thursday when Vrana went off for four goals to lead Detroit to its biggest offensive showing of the season in a 7-3 win over the Dallas Stars.
“He's fast and he can shoot it, those two things are undeniable,” Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said of Vrana. “The goals were goal-scorer's goals, a lot of them, the way he finished. When you have that ability to finish, it can really alter a game.”
The 6-foot-5, 234-pound Mantha is a classic power forward and the 26-year-old former first-round pick is in the first year of a fouryear deal for US$22.8 million.
The 6-foot, 197-pound Vrana, who is also a former first-round pick, relies on his speed and ability to finish and the 25-year-old Czech Republic native is set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
“It's a different situation,” said Vrana, who has five goals and six points in four games with Detroit. “In Washington, I didn't get as much opportunities as I get here.
“I come here, I like when somebody gives me a chance and I want to take the most of it and I take this as a chance, an opportunity for me.”
Vrana's performance was a lift for a Detroit squad that learned Friday that captain Dylan Larkin would miss the rest of the season with an upper-body surgery. Earlier this week, Blashill announced Tyler Bertuzzi and Frans Nielsen are also out for the remainder the season, while Bobby Ryan has had season-ending surgery and Robby Fabbri also remains sidelined.
“I came here trying to fit in as soon as possible,” Vrana said. “I had a chance and so far there's been up and downs. We are not in the playoffs and we're trying to do the best we can every game to make it count.”
Vrana's effort in Thursday's win helped Detroit (17-25-7) equal last season's win total (17-49-5) while surpassing the club's point total from 2019-20 a year in 22 fewer games and giving the club hope for the future.