Jakub Vrana could be a player the San Jose Sharks are interested in.

Jakub Vrana could be a player the San Jose Sharks are interested in.

Last summer, the Sharks were the land of opportunity. They signed Filip Zadina, claimed Ty Emberson, and gave significant on-ice roles to Fabian Zetterlund and Nikita Okhotiuk. They also signed Kyle Burroughs from the Vancouver Canucks. 

Vrana's career has been derailed with inconsistent play and opportunity with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. Earlier this week, Vrana was waived and sent to the AHL after the Blues failed to find a trade partner.

Vrana is in the final year of a three-year contract with an AAV of $5.25 million. He signed this deal before his arbitration hearing in 2021 while still with the Red Wings organization. 

While trading for Vrana doesn't make sense due to his current cap hit, he could be an option for Sharks GM Mike Grier in the offseason. Vrana is a UFA and will likely want to ensure he has an opportunity to play in the NHL. 

Vrana is 27 and a native of Czechia. Playing with fellow countryman Tomas Hertl might make the Sharks a more enticing option for the winger. 

Vrana had two seasons where he was a productive scorer. In 2018-19, Vrana had 24 goals with the Washington Capitals. He had 25 goals the following season but only played in 69 games due to the pandemic. 

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When the Blues acquired him during the 22-23 season, Vrana seemingly returned to the form he showed with the Caps, scoring ten goals in 20 games. 

Vrana is a terrific skater with touch around the net, and the Sharks desperately need a speedy goalscorer. Anthony Duclair has been filling that role but has not been consistent this season. 

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The Blues are changing as they fired the head coach that brought them a Stanley Cup in Craig Berube. If Vrana gets back to the NHL before the season's end, he can show he can still play at that level. 

If the Sharks were to acquire Vrana via trade, the Blues would likely need to attach a draft pick as compensation for San Jose eating Vrana's sizable cap hit. 

An offseason free agency signing should be the more likely outcome should the Sharks attempt to acquire Vrana.

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