Washington Capitals sign Jakub Vrana to PTO

A slumping scorer is getting a shot to play for his former team.

On Thursday, the Washington Capitals announced that forward Jakub Vrana will be joining the team at training camp next month on a professional tryout agreement.

Vrana previously played over four seasons with the Capitals, the team that took him 13th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. He was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings prior to the 2020-21 trade deadline, a move that left players in Hockeytown saddened to see Anthony Mantha leave town.

While Vrana showed promise of being an elite scorer with Washington, injuries and off-ice issues hindered him when he came to Detroit. An early season injury kept him out for most of the 2021-22 campaign, and when he returned the following season, something seemed off about Vrana. He eventually was entered into the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

He eventually returned to the ice, initially heading down to the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. However, a reported lacking work ethic and problems with the coaches in Grand Rapids led to Vrana falling out of favor with the organization. Detroit managed to trade the Czech winger to the St. Louis Blues in March 2023. He spent the first few months of the 2023-24 campaign with the Blues, but lack of production eventually persuaded the team’s brass to reassign him to the Springfield Thunderbirds. He scored 30 points in 42 games in the AHL to finish out the year.

He last appeared in an NHL game on Jan. 9 against the Florida Panthers.

In 367 NHL appearances, Vrana notched 110 goals and 99 assists for 209 points. With the Capitals, he played in 284 games, scoring 76 goals and 81 assists. Vrana also notched eight points in 38 Stanley Cup Playoff games with Washington.

As it stands, the Capitals have almost no room to sign Vrana, unless they were to make a move. According to CapWages, the team has 51 contracts signed for next season, one more than the max allowed. Washington is also $9.445 million over the salary cap, though that will be diminished once Nicklas Backstrom’s $9.2 million cap hit is used on long-term injured reserve.