Red Wings suffer huge blow, lose Jakub Vrana long-term

According to a report from Detroit Red Wings insider Max Bultman, the team will be without forward Jakub Vrana for at least four months as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

Check it out:

The 25 year old Vrana was an absolute revelation for the Red Wings last season after coming over from the Washington Capitals in a trade that involved power forward Anthony Mantha. Vrana put up eight goals and 11 points in just 11 games with the Red Wings and looked like a perfect fit on the team's top line with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. Heading into this season there was lots of optimism for Vrana, but that all ended roughly 10 minutes into training camp.

During his first practice with the team this past weekend, Vrana appeared to injure his shoulder and left the ice to get it looked at. Flash forward a few days and it was reported that Vrana would need to see a shoulder specialist before the team could make a determination on the severity of his injury. Now, today we get the worst possible news. You've got to feel for Vrana and you've got to feel for suffering Red Wings fans.

With Vrana out of the picture for at least four months, you have to imagine that professional tryout (PTO) contract recipient Bobby Ryan's chances of making this team just got a huge, huge, HUGE boost. And you know what? I'm all for it. It stinks that Ryan's opportunity comes at Vrana's expense, but Ryan is such a quality guy and such a talented player that I'm just happy to see him get another shot in the NHL. 

Another player to keep an eye on in Vrana's absence is 19 year old former 4th overall pick Lucas Raymond. It's probably a given that the Red Wings will let rookie Joe Veleno run wild on the wing this season, but will they have the guts to put two blue chip teenagers on their roster in Veleno and Raymond? I imagine that GM Steve Yzerman and head coach Jeff Blashill would much prefer for Raymond to get some AHL seasoning, but Vrana's injury may fast forward his development.