Unnumbered Thoughts: Jakub Vrána's next chance, charging Panthers, and bullpen catchers?

A. Jakub Vrána returned to Detroit on Thursday as a member of the St. Louis Blues and got a brief thank you video from the Red Wings organization. 

Vrána was effectively discarded by Detroit this season. After he entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, was cleared, and returned the Red Wings only intention on playing him was so they could showcase him for a potential trade. 

Both sides felt it was time to move on, and eventually, he was moved to St. Louis at a discounted price that forced Detroit to retain salary. 

I was talking to an NHL GM this week and Vrána’s story brought up two key points for this GM. 

1. Sometimes a player isn’t going to work in one place but will in another, and that’s ok. A change of scenery can do wonders, and it’s part of the business.
2. It’s great that the progr