For the first time since training camp, Jakub Vrana was back at practice Thursday with the Red Wings.
Wearing a non-contact jersey as he recovers from shoulder surgery, Vrana took part in line drills and fired a few shots on net, a sight the Red Wings have been missing. The 25-year-old forward was supposed to play a prominent role this season in the team's top six.
And he may yet.
"He’s progressing," Jeff Blashill said after practice. "He’s making progress and the next step is to come out and be part of the team skate (with full contact). I think there’s a mental side of that that is extremely important."
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That said, Vrana's return isn't imminent. Blashill said he won't start practicing with contact until sometime after the All-Star Break, which concludes Feb. 9, pending clearance from his surgeon. Vrana is scheduled to see him in mid-February.
Blashill said the Wings remain hopeful that Vrana will return by next month, but "there's no way to know until he has that follow-up appointment and the surgeon says, 'Yep, it looks like you’re ready for contact, or you’re not.'"
Until then, Blashill said the Wings are focused on two things.
"One, get him as ready as possible for when he is able to get contact so it doesn’t take as long to get back (in the lineup). And two, keep his spirits up by practicing with us," he said. "Both those things we’re trying to accomplish now.
"But being out there today, while exiting for him and for us and for everybody, it doesn't change the timeline. We’ll see. We could get to mid-February and it could be another month. I don't know the answer to that. We’re going to have to wait and see."
Here's what Blashill does know. Whenever Vrana returns, the Wings will be reclaiming a key piece of their team. Vrana scored eight goals in 11 games with Detroit last season after arriving from the Caps via the Anthony Mantha trade.
"I know when he does come back, if he’s 100 percent, which he will be, he’s a dynamic player," Blashill said. "And hopefully when that happens, he can add to our team. But in the meantime, just focusing on the guys we have."
Also back at practice Thursday was defenseman Troy Stecher, who's been out since November due to a wrist injury. Blashill said both Stecher and Vrana will get a needed boost from skating with the team.
"It’s lonely when you’re just doing stuff on your own, and boring and frustrating. They’ve been doing it for a long time," Blashill said. "So to join practice, that’s a big boost for both of them. It gives them energy in their rehab and I think that’s important."