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The first official trade of deadline day has come across the wire. As made official by the team this morning<\/a>, the St. Louis Blues have acquired forward Jakub Vrana<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Dylan McLaughlin<\/a> and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Per Chris Johnston on TSN\u2019s TradeCentre program, the Red Wings retain 50% of Vrana\u2019s $5.25M cap hit.<\/p>\n Of note, McLaughlin won\u2019t actually be leaving the Blues organization. After announcing the trade, the Red Wings immediately loaned McLaughlin back to the Blues AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.<\/p>\n Vrana\u2019s acquisition continues a newfound trend of reclamation projects in St. Louis as the team enters a new era without\u00a0<\/span>Ryan O\u2019Reilly<\/a> and Vladimir Tarasenko<\/a>. He\u2019s had an incredibly difficult 2022-23,\u00a0<\/span>entering the NHL\/NHLPA Player Assistance Program<\/a> just a few weeks into the season. After more than a two-month absence, he was waived and sent to the AHL\u2019s Grand Rapids Griffins to extend his stay in the minors after a conditioning stint. He posted six goals and 11 points in 17 games there and didn\u2019t record a point in three outings after his recent recall to Detroit.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a season that\u2019s made many forget Vrana scored 20-plus goals in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020 and had 13 goals in just 26 games in 2021-22. The 27-year-old may be on a steep cap hit with a concerning injury history, but he has obvious scoring potential if he can string some games together with an increased role in St. Louis.<\/p>\n While the return for Detroit is minimal, especially after parting with Anthony Mantha<\/a> to acquire him, the trade provides the Red Wings with some salary cap benefits. Elite Prospects\u2019 Sean Shapiro reports that the Red Wings and Vrana were likely headed for a buyout had he not been traded, leaving Detroit with a shorter cap penalty in a retained salary transaction. It\u2019s a good solution for both sides, with a 2025 seventh-round pick just a hair above \u201cfuture considerations\u201d in terms of value.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n