Sebastian Cossa on Adjusting to Life in the ECHL Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk2MjcxNzMzNTg4ODk1MDI0/usatsi_20051822.jpg] Trade deadline day is upon us, folks. The Detroit Red Wings got the festivities started on Friday morning, trading forward Jakub Vrana to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 seventh-round pick. The Red Wings subsequently loaned McLaughlin to AHL Grand Rapids. The 27-year-old Vrana is in the final year of his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $5.25 million and will be a UFA at season's end. As per the terms of the deal, the Red Wings have agreed to retain 50 percent of Vrana's salary through the end of the season. In Vrana, the Blues take a gamble on a supremely talented forward with a track record of positive production and who also happens to still be in his prime, but has endured injuries and off-ice struggles during his time in Detroit. Vrana has played just five games in the NHL this season after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in October. He was then sent to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins following his removal from the program and proceeded to rack up six goals and five assists for 11 points in 17 games, returning to the Red Wings lineup on Feb. 21 and playing three games with the big club before his trade today, going pointless. Just last season, Vrana looked like a key piece in the Red Wings' march to contention, finishing the 2021-22 campaign with 13 goals and six assists for 19 points in 26 games, all while logging roughly 15 minutes in average nightly ice time. The Czech winger's difficulty to stay in the lineup has obviously altered his status in the eyes of the Red Wings greatly over the past calendar year, as his days in the organization appeared to be numbered well before he was ultimately shipped out. If Vrana has managed to gain some consistency on the ice and off after a difficult personal stretch, the Blues could now have an intriguing addition to their roster as they hope to engineer a quick turnaround. Stay tuned. Trades have only just begun trickling in.
