Detroit Places Jakub Vrána On Waivers

Detroit Places Jakub Vrána On Waivers

The Anthony Mantha trade officially goes in the books as an L for the Red Wings. The main piece of the Mantha return, Jakub Vrána, was placed on waivers by Detroit today. A move that comes as an absolute bombshell. Vrána has missed time this year dealing with personal issues and apparently, it’s made the team move on entirely.

Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets was the first to report the news:

Jakub Vrana (DET) has been placed on waivers.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 3, 2023

Vrána, 26, is in the second season of a three-year, $15.75 million contract he signed with Detroit in 2021 immediately after the Mantha trade. Vrána has only played in 39 games with Detroit since the acquisition was made. Vrána was supposed to be a core foundational piece for Detoit moving forward. Now he’s available for the entire league to claim. If no one claims Vrana, a trade could very well be on the horizon.

Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, or Arizona Coyotes could easily just claim Vrána and try to rebuild his value on a team that’s trying to collect pieces for the future. Given the semi-large cap hit, maybe Vrána does go unclaimed and a trade is the more likely route. Time will tell.

Steve Yzerman: Big Weed Guy?

It may be time to start questioning the leadership of Steve Yzerman here. He’s done some goofy things including handing out a mega deal for Ben Chiarot who blows. Detroit is a young team that has some intriguing young pieces but you can’t help but feel that Yzerman has a few that he would like to have back. Dealing Mantha for a guy he would place on waivers two years later feels like one of them.

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