As MLive’s Ansar Khan and the Free Press’s Helene St. James note, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill provided a general update on Jakub Vrana’s status today, and it was on the same day that Washington Capitals forward Anthony Mantha underwent a shoulder surgery of his own.
Washington Capitals forward Anthony Mantha is out indefinitely after undergoing shoulder surgery Friday. He will miss Thursday’s game in Detroit and possibly his team’s other appearance at Little Caesars Arena on New Year’s Eve.
Mantha has two goals and four assists in 10 games this season.
Meanwhile, the Red Wings’ Jakub Vrana is going through rehab after having shoulder surgery earlier this season.
“I think generally those surgeries are anywhere between four-to-six months,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said of Vrana’s status. “It depends on how the rehab goes and where we’re at and obviously if we’re late into January you’re starting to get into that Olympic break. I would be more apt to give you a closer timeline once we get past the New Year.”
“I would not even put a timeline on it right now,” Blashill said Friday. “It will be significant time.”
The timeline provided in September was four months, which would have meant around the end of January. The NHL is shutting down in February for the Olympics.
“I think generally those surgeries are anywhere between four-to-six months,” Blashill said. “It just depends on how the rehab goes. And obviously, if we’re late into January, you’re starting to get into that Olympic break. I would be more apt to give you a closer timeline once we’re past New Year.”
The Wings acquired Vrana, 25, as part of last year’s trade-deadline deal that sent Mantha to the Capitals. Vrana looked like an immediate fit, contributing 11 points in 11 games. General manager Steve Yzerman signed Vrana to a three-year deal with a $5.25 million annual average value in August.
Vrana’s absence did open an opportunity for Lucas Raymond to play in Vrana’s spot on a line with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. Raymond, a first-round pick from 2020, aced the audition. He scored his fifth goal of the season in Thursday’s 5-1 loss at Boston, giving him a team-leading 10 points in 11 games.
