The Red Wings received forward
Dylan McLaughlin
and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Vrana is in the second season of a three-year contract he signed with the Red Wings on Aug. 10, 2021, and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
The 27-year-old forward has two points (one goal, one assist) in five games this season. He made his season debut Feb. 21, a 3-1 win for the Red Wings at the Washington Capitals, his first game since Oct. 15. Vrana was reinstated from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program on Dec. 16 and recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Feb. 14.
"Bringing in Vrana today was a good add for us. I'm excited about the player," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "Obviously he's a first-round pick, he's won a Stanley Cup, got traded to Detroit and had some off-ice issues that he's not running from and we're not running from. He spent time in the players' assistance program and is out now and is looking for a fresh start to his career and we're looking forward to giving him that. He's a talented player, a good skater that can score goals."
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Selected by Washington in the first round (No. 13) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Vrana has 189 points (98 goals, 91 assists) in 326 regular-season games with the Red Wings and Capitals and eight points (three goals, five assists) in 38 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Vrana won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.
"We just need the player that can play top six and produce offense," Armstrong said. "He can skate, he can do certain things, played on a championship-caliber team so yeah, we're looking for him to regain the status he had at that draft and through the early part of his career."
The Blues (27-29-5) trail the Winnipeg Jets by 13 points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
McLaughlin has one goal in six games for Springfield of the American Hockey League this sesaon.
The Red Wings (28-24-9) are five points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. Detroit traded forward Tyler Bertuzzi to the Boston Bruins for a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft on Thursday.
NHL.com independent correspondent Lou Korac contributed to this report
