The Hockey News’s Mike Stephens posted a list of “bounce-back candidates” who he believes will return to form during the 2022-2023 season, and Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana made his list:
Jakub Vrana – Detroit Red Wings
2021-22 Stat Line: 26 GP, 13 goals, 6 assists, 19 pointsSpeaking of upgraded top-sixes…
The Red Wings are officially done rebuilding, definitively taking the next step in their journey back to relevancy by signing Andrew Copp, David Perron, Dominik Kubalik, Ville Husso, and Ben Chiarot.
The former three names might be more promising than the latter one, but the point stands that Vrana, like Batherson, will be hitting the ground running this season surrounded by some far better talent to work with.
Even if Vrana doesn’t actually play alongside either Copp or Perron, the veteran duo’s presence on the roster allows new coach Derek Lalonde to re-work the matchup game in order to maximize his top offensive weapons. Vrana certainly fits that bill, having racked up 13 goals and 19 points in 26 games for Detroit last season before injuries robbed him of the rest.
Vrana began 56.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone in 2021-22. While that number is pretty high on its own, having Copp and Perron on the roster gives the Red Wings the depth to bump it up into the 60s, thereby putting Vrana in a better spot to utilize his offensive gifts against perhaps weaker competition.
And then there’s Husso, who seems ready to stabilize the goaltending and keep his team in games that they simply weren’t last season, creating more offensive opportunities for the top of the lineup.
It’s unlikely that the Red Wings did enough to contend with the best of their division. But they’ll at least be competitive — and that could be just the spark that ignites Vrana’s bounce-back.
Continued; I would argue that the Red Wings aren’t done rebuilding until they’re a playoff team again, but what do I know?
I agree with the making the playoffs 1st and no squeezing in. In that vein I would think , maybe, next year.
Wait and see. I personally think the Fwds are the key. But what do I know?