Around the League - 2022-23 season thread part I

[Rhodes 81]

Something tells me if he's being waived then whatever problems he's been dealing with are not expected to go away.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I almost wonder if its a "gentlemen's agreement" between the NHL GMs to just let him pass through waivers so he can get more AHL time? But who knows tbh.

 

[Devils731]

I almost wonder if its a "gentlemen's agreement" between the NHL GMs to just let him pass through waivers so he can get more AHL time? But who knows tbh.

I would think the NHL GMs would agree to allow him to clear if it had to do with personal problems. All the GMs would want the same and it would be better for the player going through whatever they’re facing.

 

[Eggtimer]

Something tells me if he's being waived then whatever problems he's been dealing with are not expected to go away.

Yes has to be more to it as he was very good for them last year , and is a skilled player that would make any team better IF there were no other issues .
They traded Mantha to get him so it’s nit like they are waiving a player with zero value . He is a good player and makes zero sense to waive him other than him having off ice issues ? Maybe it’s something like Pronger where he was caught banging a waitress and had to leave town or his wife would cut his balls off?

 

[Saugus]

What the hell? I don’t have a clue what his situation is with his personal life, but we could really use that type of scorer. He converts his chances at a super high rate.

Does anyone know the nature of his off-ice issues that put him in the player assistance program? Or has the league actually managed to keep something secret for once?

Either way, it's still baffling that they would waive him unless they had to do so in order to keep him on his AHL conditioning stint. I can't imagine that they did this actually wanting or expecting to lose him.

 

[Mgd31]

Vrana is great though. Great speed, finisher, awesome 5 on 5 scoring rates. But there is probably more to this and he won't be claimed.

 

[Mgd31]

Unless?

 

[Brodeur]

I almost wonder if its a "gentlemen's agreement" between the NHL GMs to just let him pass through waivers so he can get more AHL time? But who knows tbh.

Realistically only a few teams have the cap space to absorb Vrana's cap hit with a waiver claim.

Columbus - They have a ton of bodies on IR, but Vrana would eat up most of their cap space for next offseason. Wing seemingly isn't a primary need for them.

St. Louis - Some immediate help with O'Reilly/Tarasenko injured, but they'd have to make a subsequent cap move once those guys got healthy.

Ottawa - Ownership in flux, adding a 5+ mil salary might not be a trivial decision for them. There was a news tidbit over the weekend that they'd be willing to add a pick to dump Nikita Zaitsev.

Minnesota - They need to preserve cap space for Matt Boldy's next contract.

Chicago - Maybe.....

Anaheim - Ducks GM Pat Verbeek was with Detroit previously. Would have to think he'd have some intel on Vrana's off ice problems, so that might be a pass for them.

Buffalo - Seems like they'd rather reserve the ice time for some younger guys / doesn't fill a need.

Arizona - Maybe......GM might not have the green light to spend, although they could be dealing Chychrun this season.

 

[Bleedred]

Does anyone know the nature of his off-ice issues that put him in the player assistance program? Or has the league actually managed to keep something secret for once?

Either way, it's still baffling that they would waive him unless they had to do so in order to keep him on his AHL conditioning stint. I can't imagine that they did this actually wanting or expecting to lose him.

Is the player assistance program just for substance abuse issues? Or could it also help with things like maybe gambling addiction? Or could it also be mental health issues as well?

We didn't find out what it was with Carey Price, until he came out almost a year later and he specifically said it was alcohol. I think we knew it was to treat some kind of substance abuse, but no one knew what until Price talked about it at least 6 months later.

 

[Mgd31]

Is the player assistance program just for substance abuse issues? Or could it also help with things like maybe gambling addiction? Or could it also be mental health issues as well?

We didn't find out what it was with Carey Price, until he came out almost a year later and he specifically said it was alcohol. I think we knew it was to treat some kind of substance abuse, but no one knew what until Price talked about it at least 6 months later.

I am pretty sure it is any personal issues not just alcohol or drugs

 

[Eggtimer]

I am pretty sure it is any personal issues not just alcohol or drugs

If he was a right handed shot I’d look into this more if I was Fitz. However , at the end of the day , it would be hard to commit that much of a cap hit to a player that may or may not be able to play at a moments notice. I know you take that chance with every player and injuries , but… this may be a situation where the chance of going back into league assisted help is there. I know it’s a shitty thing to say but it is a reality.

 

[Darkauron]

Interesting for sure. He has a good skillset, I guess it depends on his injuries and other issues.

 

[Blackjack]

Hahahahahahaha

 

[Whaddagoal]

FRIEDGEBOMB

Wasnt he the guy that was mega fast and acored a lot of brekaways or 2v1s vs. our team when he was on the caps?

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Wasnt he the guy that was mega fast and acored a lot of brekaways or 2v1s vs. our team when he was on the caps?

Yes

 

[Whaddagoal]

Yes

Damn, he is/was a good player. Wouldnt mind biting on that waiver wire if the off ice problems can be managed properly...

But cant imagine no one would not take him before us. Maybe it is some gm agreement to give him some ahl time...

 

[njdevil26]

There was heavy talk of him being a locker room cancer around the time Green was fired and Boudreau was brought in. And that he was a big part of the problem there. That was when all the trade talk started.

I'm just not sure if this was stupid media speculation or actually legit.

But I was still surprised they brought him back.

I wouldn't put it passed the Canucks to have that information and still commit that kind of money to him. They are really batting a thousand over there.

 

[njdevil26]

Vrana is a good player but he's only played like 25-28 games over the last two seasons... I sure hope he kicks his problem and gets better... but as far as claiming him, the additional season over 5 mil gives me pause.

 

[Brodeur]

Hahahahahahaha

I forgot about Bader's existence. I'd rather not acknowledge him.

Pronman had Merkley #10 on his final 2018 list (he had Tkachuk #9, loldonkaments). That was the year I convinced my coworker to join my dynasty league. Unfortunately he went all-in on Pronman's list. Instead of taking Quinn Hughes as he originally intended, he traded down for a couple later firsts and took Merkley with one of them. The thought being that Merkley had as much upside as Hughes. [/coolstorybro]

 

[Devils090]

Wasnt he the guy that was mega fast and acored a lot of brekaways or 2v1s vs. our team when he was on the caps?

Yes, guy was an automatic goal every time we played Washington

He also scored for Detroit during the home opener back in October

 

[Whaddagoal]

Yes, guy was an automatic goal every time we played Washington

He also scored for Detroit during the home opener back in October

That is what i remembered. Thanks.

Found a quote from him from here. (Recent from dec 2022)

Vrana was also asked by the press what led to him leaving the team.

“I don’t feel like sharing anything, it’s just my personal reasons,” Vrana said. “There is bigger things than hockey in life.

“You’re going to get it in order – you’re going to deal with some things. It’s important to make the decision… you have to make some decisions that are important in your life and hockey goes besides.”

Jakub Vrana on returning from the player assistance program: ‘I’m so happy to be back’

Jakub Vrana's time with the Detroit Red Wings has been tumultuous since being traded to them by the Washington Capitals in April of 2021. The 26-year-old winger has faced injury issues since the deal and most recently in October, he...

russianmachineneverbreaks.com

 

[Whaddagoal]

Ok found another Vrana party sequence from 2018.

Jakub Vrana ‘almost didn’t remember’ any of his Stanley Cup celebrations

Following the Capitals’ first Stanley Cup win in franchise history, the players' celebration was intense. However, no one partied quite as hard as Jakub Vrana. Vrana partied so hard, in fact, that Tom Wilson had to step in and tell...

russianmachineneverbreaks.com

Theres a 3 min video of him blasted with various teammates after SCF i guess.

Some inferences can be made... Guy definitely liked to party!

 

[HBK27]

Vrana is a good player but he's only played like 25-28 games over the last two seasons... I sure hope he kicks his problem and gets better... but as far as claiming him, the additional season over 5 mil gives me pause.

I have no clue how we'd even fit his cap hit on the roster. According to CapFriendly, we have ~$6.5M in cap space, but that is with Palat's $6M still on LTIR. We'd probably have to get rid of 2 roster players to fit him.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'd love Vrana but it has to be something really bad for one of the better GM's in the league to do this. Let's also not forget the contract invested and them trading Mantha to get Vrana from Washington. It's not like they're waiving someone not important in their future. Also would have to figure they threw out trade calls before they did this. Whatever it is, I hope Vrana can find his way back into the NHL. When he's on, he's one the most lethal scoring wingers in the league. He would also fit this Devils team like a glove in better circumstances.

 

[Brodeur]

I almost wonder if its a "gentlemen's agreement" between the NHL GMs to just let him pass through waivers so he can get more AHL time? But who knows tbh.

Also "gentlemen's agreement" reminded me of some Montreal fans circa opening night 2002. They had talked themselves into Mathieu Garon being a top goalie prospect that could be used as a centerpiece to get all sorts of top players (#1 pick in 2001 Draft as well). Then Montreal waived him and he went unclaimed. Definitely an amusing time to be on the main boards.

Still have it burned in my memory when one Habs fan rationalized that there must have been a gentlemen's agreement because there was no other way Garon could have been passed over.

Just for the 'member berries, here's the ballpark opening night duos for 2002-03:

NJD: Brodeur-Schwab
PHI: Cechmanek-Esche
NYI: Osgood-Snow
NYR: Richter-Blackburn
PIT: Hedberg-Aubin

OTT: Lalime-Prusek
TOR: Belfour-Kidd
BOS: Shields-Grahame
MON: Theodore-Hackett
BUF: Biron-Noronen-Miller

TBL: Khabibulin-Hodson
WSH: Kolzig-Billington
ATL: Nurminen-Hnlicka
FLO: Luongo-Hurme
CAR: Weekes-Irbe

DET: Joseph-Legace
STL: Johnson-Brathwaite
CHI: Thibault-Passmore
NSH: Dunham-Vokoun
CLB: Denis-Labbe

COL: Roy-Aesbischer
VAN: Cloutier-Skudra
MIN: Roloson-Fernandez
EDM: Salo-Markkanen
CAL: Turek-McLennan

DAL: Turco-Tugnutt
ANA: Giguere-Gerber
LAK: Potvin-Storr
PHX: Boucher-Burke
SJS: Nabokov*-Kiprusoff-Toskala

Garon conceivably could have been a better option at backup for a few teams, but Montreal fans didn't quite grasp that nobody was forking over a ton for a backup.

I forgot that 2002-03 was under the old CBA where there'd be a waiver draft before opening night. That was the season where San Jose's season got ruined by Evgeny Nabokov and Brad Stuart holding out for the first ~20 games. Kiprusoff was awful for them, then ironically he'd turn it around with Calgary and knock San Jose out of the playoffs in 2004.

That was also the year where Byron Dafoe lost the game of musical chairs. He'd end up signing with Atlanta a month+ into the season.