Updated 2x at 1:09 PM: The Detroit Red Wings announced that Jakub Vrana needs surgery to repair an injured shoulder, and that he’ll be out for 4 months as a result.
MLive’s Ansar Khan reveals that Vrana’s shoulder issue was a nagging injury:
Coach Jeff Blashill said Thursday that Vrana had been bothered by shoulder pain in the offseason but was hoping to play through it. He reaggravated the issue 10 minutes into his first on-ice workout in training camp on Sunday.
“He’s had some issues with it. Went through the summer rehabbing it and ultimately re-aggravated it,” Blashill said. “Unfortunately, it was the first practice. It could have happend three weeks into the season. Ultimately, surgery is the last option. Jakub thought he could get through the season and unfortunately he couldn’t.”
So, what happens now?
“A guy like Bobby Ryan, Lucas Raymond or Joe Veleno, do they make the team? Is there a more direct avenue?” Blashill said. “With the two young guys, they’re going to have to play great. Bobby is going to have to play great. But if they play great, there’s an avenue there for them.”
Veleno is a center, but Blashill indicated there is a path for him to make the roster as a winger.
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They have a spot open among their top six forwards. For now, the top line consists of Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina and the second line Suter and Fabbri.
“We have unknowns in our top six, and you don’t necessarily win with a top six you win with a hockey team, 12 forwards who can play,” Blashill said. “Ultimately, we’re going to have rely on depth than just one or two pure high-end guys. There’s a lot of guys that haven’t necessarily proven that they’re top-six players. That doesn’t mean it can’t be that, it just means they haven’t proven it. The positive thing is we have seven more exhibition games, a lot of games to be able to look at guys.”
Update: Here’s a bit more from the Free Press’s Helene St. James:
Coach Jeff Blashill delivered the bad news Thursday morning, announcing Vrana will have shoulder surgery that will sideline him a minimum of four months.
“He’s a guy that, going into the season, we had penciled into some big roles with the opportunity to score goals for us,” Blashill said. “Certainly, we’d be in a better spot today as we stand if he were healthy and ready to go. But he’s not and that’s just the reality of life.
“One of our biggest things we do as a team is – we certainly care about the guys that are out – but we worry about the guys that are available to us and who can get it done.”
Veteran Bobby Ryan is a frontrunner to fill the role; the savvy winger knows how to get into scoring spots, something he demonstrated as recently as Wednesday, when he had a goal and assist in regulation and also scored in a shootout in an exhibition game Wednesday. Ryan, 34, is at camp on a tryout.
Another candidate, at the other end of his NHL career, is Lucas Raymond, the Wings’ first-round pick from 2020. He’s a smart, skilled winger looking to make the jump to the NHL.
Update #2: And more still from The Athletic’s Max Bultman:
Who will step up?
Max Bultman, Red Wings reporter: Vrana’s absence leaves a gaping hole in the top six for the Red Wings. He’d have been the top contender to lead the team in scoring this season, so they can’t realistically replace his production, but his injury nonetheless opens a prime offensive role for prospects Lucas Raymond and Joe Veleno, and veteran Bobby Ryan (currently playing on a tryout contract) to compete for.
Raymond is slated to skate tonight on what might have otherwise been Vrana’s line, alongside Robby Fabbri and Pius Suter, but the 19-year-old rookie will have to make a big impression in the preseason to win a job. Veleno, meanwhile, is a natural center, but now has a clearer path to the roster as well. He’s slated to skate between Sam Gagner and Filip Zadina tonight against the Sabres. And Ryan, for his part, scored, had an assist and added the shootout winner for the Red Wings last night in their preseason opener against the Blackhawks. Those three look like the biggest contenders to fill Vrana’s roster spot.
The question is , Did Vrana consult with the Wings when he had pain in the shoulder? Seems s bit odd “Play through it”. Would a trip to a specialist have caught this problem before it blew up. I get players want to play through it. Wings would not have agreed with Dr Vrana without further evaluation(s).
My jury is still out on this guy, at least what he has above his shoulders.
Those are my concerns as well…We really don’t know what happened or how it happened here. You never want a player to just play through a shoulder issue.
Thanks for the response. Misinformation sure exists in some cases. I think it was Sportsnet that said the recovery time would be a Min of 4 months and likely a lot more..
It really is a reminder to that probably in this case the Wings report might only be the accurate source. As with injuries teams really don’t seem to like reporting on some issues.
Tough on you whether and what to report. Far too many sports talk shows, IMO.
Bottom line, I hope Vrana recovers fully and when we see him on the ice is probably the best indicator of his health.
This sure makes your job more difficult.
I am going to try and read what you report just to keep my sanity.
You do a Great job telling what you know, only!!
Were they clear on when the original injury occurred that he was playing through? Was he damaged goods when we got him from Washington? My impression is that it happened during the off season.
I read that some folks see this as a blessing in disguise in the Shane Wright derby.
We really don’t know what happened, which is the whole concern. :/