Red Wings shed light on Jakub Vrana's timetable

The Detroit Red Wings welcomed back forward Jakub Vrana to practice last week for the first time since he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on October 19. The issue for Vrana's having entered the program remains private, as explained by the man himself following practice. 

In the meantime, fans are certainly wondering when they may be able to see Vrana suit up. While there's no official timeline, he's "closer", according to head coach Derek Lalonde, who speaks with general manager Steve Yzerman on a daily basis regarding Vrana's status. 

"He's coming closer and closer," Lalonde said. "It's just it's hard to judge him. He hasn't been on the ice for two full months. Steve and I we literally talk about it every day."

"It makes it very intriguing because we do have offense injured and out of our lineup," Lalonde said. "But you also don't want to put him in a situation to fail. Guys go through entire training camps to get ready. You saw Andrew Copp miss an entire training camp, and what we asked of him from day one. I think we want to be fair to him and not put him in a bad situation. We want to give him the best opportunity to succeed when he does come back."

Of course, the Red Wings will want to give Vrana all the opportunity to get himself back into game shape before he makes his return to the lineup.

"When we feel we give him the best opportunity to be successful, and if that's sooner than later, of if it's after the holiday — that's something Steve and I, as the coaching staff, talk about at the end of each day," Lalonde said.