Former 1st Round Pick and Stanley Cup Champion Leaves NHL to Sign with Overseas Team

Vrana split this year with the Capitals and Nashville Predators; he signed a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO) with the Capitals after being unable to find a contract over the summer, and he was signed to a 1 year deal for his 2nd go-around with the team.

But he was waived by the Capitals and then claimed by the Predators; he finished with 14 points (9G, 5A) in 39 total games.

He was taken by the Capitals with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and eventually won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2018; he scored the opening goal in the decisive Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Capitals traded him to the Detroit Red Wings in 2021 at the Trade Deadline for Anthony Mantha, but Vrana was often injured with Detroit and even had a stay in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

He was traded to the St. Louis Blues, and while he started hot, his scoring touch cooled off, and he would be waived and sent to the AHL.

Jakub Vrana's return to Sweden highlights a key turning point in the career of a former NHL first-round pick and Stanley Cup winner

Vrana wasn't able to stick with a single NHL club over the last few years, bouncing from the Detroit Red Wings to the St. Louis Blues, back to the Washington Capitals and then to the Nashville Predators.

He skated in a total of 406 NHL games and had 223 points (119G, 104A).