NEW YORK — The Detroit Red Wings anticipate a “massive boost” to their lineup within the next couple weeks.
Top-line forward Jakub Vrana, who hasn’t played since last season, has taken the next step in his comeback from shoulder surgery.
“He’s getting closer,” coach Jeff Blashill said Thursday. “We’re in a spot where we’ll start in a controlled environment introducing contact. That could happen over a course of probably two weeks, where it’s full contact. I don’t want to put a direct timeline on it but it’s the start to see the beginning of the end, and hopefully he’ll be ready to play here in the next little bit.”
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The Wings were at Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers, one of a handful of games rescheduled for this month because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vrana has been skating for several weeks and started taking part in practice in mid-January, but had to wear a non-contact sweater. After seeing his surgeon this week, Vrana has been cleared to get more involved.
“The guidance is, let’s start getting him into controlled contact,” Blashill said. “It’s a progression. The progression starts with him initiating contact in a real sterile one-on-one environment and then him receiving contact. This is the kind of stuff that kind of happens after practice. And then you move from there to where it’s a little more fuller contact and then into full contact.”
Adding a guy who pumped 11 points into 11 games last season after being acquired at the trade deadline is a welcome prospect for a team trying to close the distance on getting into the playoff picture.
“He’s been working hard to get back,” veteran defenseman Marc Staal said. “It’s a tough surgery to come back from. We saw a little bit last year how talented he is offensively and and how he can finish. It’s going to be a massive boost for us, for sure.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.