We can exhale for a minute. The Caps signed Jakub Vrana to a 2-year $6.7 million contract, which is some good news after losing so many players this offseason, like Matt Niskanen, Brett Connolly, Andre Burakovsky, Brooks Orpik, and even Nathan Walker.
The 23-year-old had 24 goals and 23 assists last season, numbers that made him a relatively affordable keeper while needing to cut loose from guys like Burakovsky, who were under-producing compared to their salary.
This also means that Vrana has two seasons to prove that he deserves the big bucks. Any increase in production, especially if he hits the 30 goal mark in the next two seasons, could boost his salary to the $5 million range. While that remains to be seen, it’s clear that the Caps have faith in Vrana and he certainly has the skillset.
One of our favorite parts of Vrana, however, is his youthful exuberance, as he always seems to be getting himself into confusing situations (off the ice) that leads to chuckles for the fans. Our favorite example was from last season, when on live television, he was being interviewed about a goal. He was asked about curling the puck with his stick before the shot, to which he confusingly replied, ‘What curl?’
Our friend Charlie commemorated the moment with a photo of Vrana on a t-shirt. Don’t you love that face?
via Charlie.https://www.instagram.com/p/B0BYFtmCAWF/
