Confirmed with Link: Jakub Vrana in Player Assistance program (01.03.23 in GR for conditioning)

[Winger98]

Make what public? This program is literally a catch-all for anything not physically hampering a player from playing, but they shouldn't be playing. That's it.

That's why you shouldn't read anything into it because you or I or anyone don't know what's going on here.

And even then these are things that should not be hidden away to further the stigma that has been over mental, emotional, substance ailments since the 50s and 60s.

It's not really our business what it is and it's not on Vrana to be a poster boy for mental health acceptance. If he wants to share, he will.

 

[norrisnick]

I'd wonder if part of it is to help head off media asking questions. The more black and white the line is the easier it is to just look at a reporter and tell them it's not open for discussion. Also, leaves no room for interpretation.

Regardless, good luck to Vrana on dealing with whatever he's having issues with.

The only thing that stands out, and only stands out because I looked up what was said when Price entered the program, was that it was stated that Price "voluntarily entered" the program whereas in this case Vrana "was placed" into the program. But again, that could just be a wording issue. Who knows.

 

[lilidk]

Buddy, we're 2-0-1 and have looked solid. Let's pump the brakes a bit and let the season play out. Good thing Yzerman signed Perron, Copp, Kubalik, and good thing Elmer has emerged as a legit NHL player, and we still have Berggren ready to step in.

Chill man and enjoy the hockey.

Berggren not ready, maybe Hirose if we got some more injuries

 

[Winger98]

The only thing that stands out, and only stands out because I looked up what was said when Price entered the program, was that it was stated that Price "voluntarily entered" the program whereas in this case Vrana "was placed" into the program. But again, that could just be a wording issue. Who knows.

From my experience the wording isn't strange either way. Outside of a judge forcing you into a program for whatever, it's pretty darn hard to "force" someone to enter one. They are all pretty much voluntarily entered. At the same time, though you are voluntarily entering a program, you can also be "placed" in that program. It's really just saying the program has space for that person and that they are in it.

 

[Hoog]

I really wish this kid the best, seems like a very good fun loving kid, but DANG could this have come at a worse time. A day after loosing Bert? We build depth this off season and BANG depth is gone. Steve and Derrick have their work cut out for them.

 

[RRhoads]

The only thing that stands out, and only stands out because I looked up what was said when Price entered the program, was that it was stated that Price "voluntarily entered" the program whereas in this case Vrana "was placed" into the program. But again, that could just be a wording issue. Who knows.

Yeah I noticed the same thing. It didn't say "placed" on the official announcement though. He does still get paid though, so good for him.

Both Price and Drouin have been in the program recently. Price because of substance addiction, and Drouin because of anxiety and insomnia.

 

[SantosHalper]

Get well Jakub, one day at the time.

This was the guy a month ago.

Just a happy kid waiting for the season.

In the words of Tony Soprano "I have to be the sad clown, laughing on the outside. Crying on the inside" Robin Williams as an example, always happy but there something brewing on the inside. Millions of people would trade places with Vrana and im sure he knows that, so he just put on the happy face. Good thing that he gets help before it's too late.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Make what public? This program is literally a catch-all for anything not physically hampering a player from playing, but they shouldn't be playing. That's it.

That's why you shouldn't read anything into it because you or I or anyone don't know what's going on here.

And even then these are things that should not be hidden away to further the stigma that has been over mental, emotional, substance ailments since the 50s and 60s.

And that's for others to decide, whether your private situation goes public?

Yes, that's what it is - the public knows via that press release, that the player has a non-physical problem, issue, situation, whatever you want to call it.

Doesn't matter that the public doesn't know the specifics (that would be much worse, ofc), they shouldn't even know that there is any kind of personal issue.

I agree with you, that the stigma needs to end, but cutting into the player's individual privacy can't be the way. Let him come back, be a part of the team again and THEN open up about "I needed help, I got it, now I'm healthy again". If he wants to let people know. Only then.

Might be interesting what a doctor working in that field would've to say about that. Does this press release help Vrana or not? And does it really help others who are hiding their issues, to see such news?

Because afaik, many people who are not seeking help do not do it for that exact reason - fear that others might know about it. That's why I doubt that this kind of news is really encouraging to people in need.

 

[Leibinger6]

Buddy, we're 2-0-1 and have looked solid. Let's pump the brakes a bit and let the season play out. Good thing Yzerman signed Perron, Copp, Kubalik, and good thing Elmer has emerged as a legit NHL player, and we still have Berggren ready to step in.

Chill man and enjoy the hockey.

2-0-1 ; context matters. We beat Montreal (another bottom 3 team) at home. More or less stole a game from NJ (whose fans then chanted for their coach to be fired - which tells you where that organization stands), then squeezed out an OT point in a home game which was relatively lopsided.

Every year the Wings seem to start hot and fade, so I’m not reading too much into their current record with the small sample size. Replace Bert & Vrana with Perron & Copp and you essentially have the same roster (production-wise) as last year.

I’m a lifelong fan but also a realist. Teams without elite superstars NEED depth and production across the lineup in order to sustain continued success through a tough 82 game schedule in this league. And no, I’m not ready to call Mo or Raymond an elite superstar yet. Larks and Perron, great players, also not elite superstars.

Like I said, best case scenario this coaching staff is able to patch holes through inside-out, systematically sound hockey until they both return. Hopefully in a couple months they are close to .500 and can make a wildcard push. I’d love to be proven wrong but the ingredients aren’t there.

 

[Hoog]

So if its a mandatory 30 days then he will miss at minimum 15 games and would come back about the same time as Bert. Hope the players are reaching out and showing love. Sure they are

 

[The Flying Octopus]

What I don’t understand is how they came to this conclusion after 3/4 weeks of camp, preseason and him playing in the first two games. All of a sudden he has an issue ? Questions need to be answered. If he was under some sort of umbrella during the summer / camp / preseason / first two games and messed up, I get that, but I doubt that. If this is a mental health/substance abuse issue, this wouldn’t be the first time the club has heard about it, so why not nail it in the butt over the offseason? I just don’t understand the timing. I for one have been to rehab for alcohol, best 45 days of my life, so don’t come at me with your narratives about what I know and don’t. I know way more than most of you in relation to this topic and will be glad to have a private conversation about the topic. I have been sober for 35 months but this is something that builds over time and can be very hard to admit. I pray for this guy, but the timing is sketchy to me about all of this.

 

[jkutswings]

What I don’t understand is how they came to this conclusion after 3/4 weeks of camp, preseason and him playing in the first two games. All of a sudden he has an issue ? Questions need to be answered. If he was under some sort of umbrella during the summer / camp / preseason / first two games and messed up, I get that, but I doubt that. If this is a mental health/substance abuse issue, this wouldn’t be the first time the club has heard about it, so why not nail it in the butt over the offseason? I just don’t understand the timing. I for one have been to rehab for alcohol, best 45 days of my life, so don’t come at me with your narratives about what I know and don’t. I know way more than most of you in relation to this topic and will be glad to have a private conversation about the topic. I have been sober for 35 months but this is something that builds over time and can be very hard to admit. I pray for this guy, but the timing is sketchy to me about all of this.

There's no way of knowing what he's seeing help for, let alone what circumstances led to the timing. But the good news is that somebody who clearly has physical talent to play hockey at a high level is taking steps to address whatever other challenges may have been weighing on him.

I choose to be optimistic that whenever he is ready, Vrana will return as the best version of himself we've ever seen.

 

[Henkka]

And that's for others to decide, whether your private situation goes public?

Yes, that's what it is - the public knows via that press release, that the player has a non-physical problem, issue, situation, whatever you want to call it.

Doesn't matter that the public doesn't know the specifics (that would be much worse, ofc), they shouldn't even know that there is any kind of personal issue.

Yep.

Player will come out and tell, when it's time.

Before that, we don't deserve to know anything.

Vrana so far for Red Wings
39 games, 22+10=32 points, 0.82 points per game.

(82-game pace: 46+21=63 points)

 

[The Flying Octopus]

There's no way of knowing what he's seeing help for, let alone what circumstances led to the timing. But the good news is that somebody who clearly has physical talent to play hockey at a high level is taking steps to address whatever other challenges may have been weighing on him.

I choose to be optimistic that whenever he is ready, Vrana will return as the best version of himself we've ever seen.

Agreed. Personally, it won’t be until next year. I will go out on the limb and say his season is over.

 

[jaster]

What I don’t understand is how they came to this conclusion after 3/4 weeks of camp, preseason and him playing in the first two games. All of a sudden he has an issue ? Questions need to be answered. If he was under some sort of umbrella during the summer / camp / preseason / first two games and messed up, I get that, but I doubt that. If this is a mental health/substance abuse issue, this wouldn’t be the first time the club has heard about it, so why not nail it in the butt over the offseason? I just don’t understand the timing. I for one have been to rehab for alcohol, best 45 days of my life, so don’t come at me with your narratives about what I know and don’t. I know way more than most of you in relation to this topic and will be glad to have a private conversation about the topic. I have been sober for 35 months but this is something that builds over time and can be very hard to admit. I pray for this guy, but the timing is sketchy to me about all of this.

You may have a first-hand background with this stuff that provides some insight, but one thing you don't know is Vrana's exact situation. You're leaning into assumptions, but you shouldn't, there are a lot of unknowns here. There are usually some common threads amongst these cases, but there also can be significant differences from one situation to the next.

 

[dalem177]

I thought there was something odd in that smile he had after his goal. I've known a lot of addicts and unbalanced folks in my life, and my warning radar bleeped. Good luck, sir, whatever it is!

 

[stillwater]

Lots of wanna-be experts.

Plenty of no-nothing judgements.

Just let the kid work through his problems. You don't know him. Viewing a clip of him on f***ing youtube for 15 seconds one time doesn't mean you know him, or anything about his struggle.

He didn't purposely wreck the expectations of this Detroit Red Wings 2022-2023 team.

Let the kid work through whatever this is. Leave him alone.

I thought there was something odd in that smile he had after his goal. I've known a lot of addicts and unbalanced folks in my life, and my warning radar bleeped. Good luck, sir, whatever it is!

Oh, for christsake ...

 

[GMR]

Maybe Zadina can stop sucking and contribute some offense in his place. Wishful thinking likely but it's another opportunity for someone to get more time.

 

[eibyyz]

We are with you dude!

Prayers.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Every year the Wings seem to start hot and fade, so I’m not reading too much into their current record with the small sample size. Replace Bert & Vrana with Perron & Copp and you essentially have the same roster (production-wise) as last year.

Every year? Last year they were 4-4-2 in their first 10 games with a combined score of 30-39. Two years ago they were 2-6-2 in their first 10 with a combined score of 20-35 Three years ago they were 3-7-0 in their first 10 with a combined score of 23-38. Yeah they have had some modest winning streaks to start the season before, but a 2-3 streak or 3-4 of 5 isn't uncommon for even a bad team to occasionally stumble into.

And regarding their roster being the same as it was last year, their 2nd line center (Suter) last year is a healthy scratch or a 4th liner this year. Veleno didn't start on the team last year. Soderblom wasn't in North America yet. Sundkvist was a member of the Blues for most of the year. Our starting LHD was Dekeyser, Leddy and Staal. Vrana missed over 50 games. Thomas Greiss started 28 games in net.

Chiarot, Copp, Hagg, Husso, Kubalik, Maatta, Perron, Soderblom are all new additions to this team. How can you really try to make a claim that the team hasn't changed much with Bertuzzi being out until mid-December and Vrana being out (when he missed two thirds of the season last year).

As big of a role as Vrana seemed poised to take on this year, the team clearly has more/better depth to tread water with in his absence. Does his unfortunate circumstance hurt the playoff chances...of course. But if this team is ever going to accomplish anything, this type of adversity is something they are going to have to learn to succeed in spite of. That means that Veleno or Zadina may have to prove he has something more than what we have seen, or that Rasmussen's late season surge last year wasn't a flash in the pan. Or Soderblom is the wild card you were hoping for, or Berggren can be a spark plug. Or, the more likely scenario, Perron, Copp, Kubalik, and Larkin shoulder the burden of elevating their game as the elder veterans in the top 6.

 

[jaster]

As someone who typically has little sympathy for celebrities when it comes to privacy (their social contract says they give that up when they become a celebrity in a country that both pays them well and idolizes them way too much), I do have a line, and it's health, mental or physical, or the welfare of a child. Frankly, I don't want to know anything more about this Vrana situation unless it's from Jakub Vrana himself.

 

[sepster]

What I don’t understand is how they came to this conclusion after 3/4 weeks of camp, preseason and him playing in the first two games. All of a sudden he has an issue ? Questions need to be answered. If he was under some sort of umbrella during the summer / camp / preseason / first two games and messed up, I get that, but I doubt that. If this is a mental health/substance abuse issue, this wouldn’t be the first time the club has heard about it, so why not nail it in the butt over the offseason? I just don’t understand the timing. I for one have been to rehab for alcohol, best 45 days of my life, so don’t come at me with your narratives about what I know and don’t. I know way more than most of you in relation to this topic and will be glad to have a private conversation about the topic. I have been sober for 35 months but this is something that builds over time and can be very hard to admit. I pray for this guy, but the timing is sketchy to me about all of this.

As someone who has been married to a recovering addict for 8 years, I can tell you that there is no one-size-fits-all way these situations go and that things can seemingly be going really, really well for long periods of time and then go off the rails real fast.

Be thankful for your stretch of sobriety and I hope you continue to be strong when life comes at you.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

Maybe Zadina can stop sucking and contribute some offense in his place. Wishful thinking likely but it's another opportunity for someone to get more time.

Maybe you need assistance program.

 

[Retire91]

So proud of you Jakub asking for help take courage and is an important step. We will be rooting for you through it all.

 

[GMR]

Maybe you need assistance program.

Maybe so.