On Tuesday, the Detroit Red Wings announced they had recalled Jakub Vrana from Grand Rapids and placed Lucas Raymond on injured reserve.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period was the first to report that Vrana would return to Detroit.
In practice last week, Raymond suffered a lower-body injury in a collision with Ben Chiarot and was previously listed as day-to-day.
Vrana’s 2022-23 season has been hard to gauge as he had only played two games with the Red Wings this season before entering the NHLPA’s Player’s Assistance Program. After exiting the program, Vrana was assigned to Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint but then was waived by the Red Wings to make roster space for Tyler Bertuzzi.
Vrana has begun to find his game of late, as over the past ten games, Vrana has six goals and four assists. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde credited Vrana’s recent play in the AHL to his commitment away from the puck, which is something Vrana’s game lacked previously.
The Red Wings play back-to-back in Edmonton and Calgary Wednesday and Thursday, and with the loss of Raymond, Vrana could slot right into Detroit’s top six and potentially the top powerplay unit. With Detroit near the bottom in most offensive metrics, inserting a goal scorer of the caliber of Vrana could be a huge boost to the team’s five-on-five offense. In only 39 games played with the Red Wings, Vrana has 22 goals and ranks among the league’s best in goals per 60 minutes.
