In a shocking turn of events, a 1st round pick expected to be waived not placed on waivers; trade imminent?
Every now and again something happens in the NHL that surprises just about everyone. On Monday, one of those situations has arisen, involving a former 1st round draft pick. On Monday, St. Louis Blues rinkside reporter Jeremy Rutherford reported that the Blues would be placing Jakub Vrana on waivers, however, when 2:00pm ET rolled around, Vrana was not waived.
There may be a number of possible explanations for this. It could simply be that the Blues simply had a change of heart and opted to keep Vrana up with the big club for fear of losing him for nothing on waivers. Another possibility is that perhaps the Blues found a trade partner for the 27-year-old former multi-time 20-goal scorer.
Vrana, a former 13th overall pick in 2014, had a very high ceiling when he was drafted by the Washington Capitals. Vrana tallied a career-high 52 points in 69 games with the Caps back in 2019-20 and appeared to be taking his career in the right direction. Little did anyone know that a steep drop off was about to hit.
After recording 25 points in 39 games with the Caps in 2020-21, Vrana was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings in a deal involving Anthony Mantha. Vrana went on to notch 11 points in 11 games with the Wings that season, but was never more than a part-time player after that, spending time in the player's assistance program before landing on waivers last season.
After clearing waivers and spending some time in Grand Rapids (AHL), Vrana was traded to the St. Louis Blues, going on to score 10 goals and 14 points in 20 games. His success didn't follow him into this season, however, as Vrana has amassed just 6 points in 19 games.
The 27-year-old winger is on the books for $5.25M against the cap and will become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11 | 374 ANSWERS In a shocking turn of events, a 1st round pick expected to be waived not placed on waivers; trade imminent? Will Jakub Vrana end up being claimed off of waivers? | ||
| No, not at $5.25M he won't | 270 | 72.2 % |
| Yes, someone will grab him for free | 104 | 27.8 % |
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