Washington Capitals left wing Jakub Vrana (13) celebrates with Capitals left wing Andrew Mangiapane (88) after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period at Capital One Arena. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Watch: Jakub Vrana scores in first game back with Capitals

By Austen Bundy | Last updated 10/15/24

The journey back to starting on an NHL roster was not an easy one for forward Jakub Vrana.

But the 2018 Stanley Cup champion with the Washington Capitals earned his way back to the team that drafted him in 2014, taking a risk on a professional tryout at training camp that paid off in the form of a one-year contract.

Washington's decision to bring him back is already paying dividends as the 28-year-old scored Tuesday on his first shot in his first game with the franchise since 2021.

ON HIS FIRST SHOT OF THE SEASON IN HIS FIRST GAME BACK AS A WASHINGTON CAPITAL SINCE 2021 JAKUB VRANA SCORES A GOAL pic.twitter.com/MYl14rH9A1
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 15, 2024

The first-period goal put Washington up 1-0 early on the Las Vegas Golden Knights, a familiar foe to the Czech winger.

Vrana was a fan favorite during his five seasons in the nation's capital and scored in the series-clinching Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals against the Golden Knights.

The years following the championship were not so celebratory, however. Vrana was traded to Detroit in 2021 and flipped to St. Louis in 2023 before nearly falling out of the league entirely during the offseason.

Vrana accrued 209 points (76 goals and 81 assists in Washington alone) over nine seasons, but his scoring was sorely lacking in recent years.

His on-ice pace was something that impressed Washington head coach Spencer Carbery, noting in the preseason he "showed some of the things that I think would make him special from a speed standpoint" and complimenting "his offensive mind," per Chris Cerullo of Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Vrana will need to repeat his early scoring habits often throughout the season if he wants to stay on the ice in Washington as Carbery has shown he isn't afraid to pull lagging efforts from the lineup.

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