Källa: https://www.livesport.cz/zpravy/hokej-nhl-vranovo-teskne-blues-ztratil-misto-v-sestave-kouc-ho-opetovne-kritizoval/2XZ8YIrL/
Crow’s wistful Blues. He lost his place in the lineup, the coach criticized him again
He was considered a great talent. However, hockey forward Jakub Vrána (27) has been going through difficult times in the last three seasons. Since Washington traded him to Detroit, his form has slowly lost its luster, and he even accepted help from the NHL’s player assistance program last year due to personal issues. Before this season it looked promising, he was given a new chance by St. Louis. But the positives disappeared again, Vrana was out of the lineup for the second time today. In addition, according to overseas media, he does not get along completely with the coach.
After the initial taste, when Vrána scored seven goals in 10 games immediately after the trade from the Capitals , he received a three-year contract for $16.25 million in the Red Wings organization. But then came the troubles. He injured his shoulder and was sidelined for almost the entire season before last. Then he joined the mentioned program, which helps players with various psychological problems and addictions.
And when he returned in February 2023, it was basically just a move by Detroit to offer the lost support to other teams. In the end, they gave the unwanted Czech attacker a place in St. Louis. The start was great again. By the end of the season he had 10 goals and six assists in 20 games and Blues fans were reveling. There was a scorer in the team who showed numbers averaging half a goal per match.
However, the new year is carried in a spirit of embarrassment. Already in October, coach Craig Berube took Vrana out of the lineup and put him in the stands for two games. “We need more from him. It’s all about fair play and he has to be better,” he explained his decision.
The Czech forward didn’t hide and gave his reaction to The Hockey News journalists: “I can’t say I’m happy about it. Now it’s up to me. I’ll keep working on myself and my game and I hope I get a chance to come back,” he said criticism with humility.
“I know what is expected of me, I know how to skate, I know how to score goals, I know how to create chances. But of course I also have to do other work, without that, games are not won. I played in winning teams, so I know what hockey is about,” he added Stanley Cup champion with Washington. However, it apparently did not bring the effect. Since returning to the lineup in the game on the ice of Colorado, he managed to score only one goal in 10 games.
Second time on the stand
When the Bluesmen finished the game against Colorado at the weekend and defended a two-goal lead in the final period, he was left out of the rotation of players again. He played only 9 minutes and 43 seconds and for the third time this season he did not even get 10 minutes of playing time. And now he wasn’t on the ice at all. St. Louis even without his contribution defeated Arizona on its ice 6:5 .
When evaluating the match and asking journalists about the missing forward, Berube once again held his own. “I’ll say it again. We need more from him. There are certain passages of the game where I think he’s waiting for a goal and not working. And we want him to work and be stronger in faceoffs. He’s got a great shot, he can skate. But just his skating and I don’t see work as enough.”
An interesting statistic is Vrán’s throw-in success. Although he is not a center and it is not his role, in the season he had to jump on the bullpen 12 times for his teammates, unfortunately he did not win a single one. In the 15 games in which he has played so far, he has scored only two goals and assisted in four. The plus is certainly the positive balance in participation on the ice, which he has +3 and in this respect he is the fourth best player of the team.
And his supporters are speaking up. “If management doesn’t let him play where it’s natural for him, there’s no point in expecting anything more from him. It’s that simple… In most of the games of his career, he was a quality offensive player and, above all, a productive player. But this season, he was sent to fight , The Blues want far more defense from him. I think it’s a shame to try to take away from his above average attacking ability. The Blues’ inability to create quality chances is not Vrán’s fault. He should have been given more chances in the top six and in the team’s best power forward. It is clear that now it’s not going to work because he doesn’t have an ideal relationship with the coach,” says Ethan Carter of The Hockey Writers blog.
Vrán’s transfer was an experiment for the Blues in the beginning. Compared to the engagement in Detroit, he received half the salary ($2.625 million) and a contract only until the end of the season. In any case, there are more and more comments on overseas forums that they do not have to wait in St. New Year’s Louis…
