Apparently, former Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana isn’t a fan of the works of author Thomas Wolfe.
It was Wolfe who wrote the novel You Can’t Go Home Again. Yet that’s exactly what Vrana is on the verge of doing.
Though technically from Czechia, Vrana spent many of his formative hockey years in Sweden playing for Linköping. And published reports out of Sweden are indicating that Vrana is going to be signing with the SHL club this week.
Jakub Vrana to reportedly sign with former SHL team Linköping HC for 2025-26 seasonhttps://t.co/o0v9KxRojf
— RMNB (@rmnb) August 3, 2025
It could be as early as Monday, so that he can be with the team for the opening of training camp for the 2025-26 season.
Several sources have told Swedish website Expressen that Vrana has agreed on a contract with his old Swedish club. “It will take a radical change for him not to play in Linköping this season,” wrote Expessen’s Johan Svensson.
Vrana will be paid a healthy stipend to return to Sweden. Linköping has negotiated with several sponsors who are willing to step up and help pay for Vrana’s contract.
Swedish Reunion Originally Seemed Unlikely
Vrana, 29, played for Linköping as both a junior and in the SHL from 2011-15. He was with the Swedish club when the Washington Capitals selected him 13th overall in the 2014 NHL entry draft.
“We have a dialogue and Jakub is well aware of our interest,” Linköping sports director Peter Jakobsson told Swedish website Corran. “It would always be an exciting name for us.”
Not so long ago, this reunion seemed unlikely. Vrana was expressing a desire to take another shot at the NHL. He spent last season with the Capitals and Nashville Predators. If an NHL opportunity didn’t materialize, Sparta Prague of the Czech Extraliga looked to be the frontrunners to get Vrana’s name on a contract.
Still, Sparta Prague sports director Tomas Divisek admitted that the Swedes were also legitimate contenders for Vrana.
“Vrana is from Prague; he grew up in Letňany, which is a bit of a plus for us,” Divisek told Czech website hokej.cz. “But he is actually at home in Sweden, too. We compete for him here.”
Vrana Once Held Promise For Red Wings
Acquired by Detroit at the 2022 NHL trade deadline, initially, it looked as though he’d develop into a cornerstone in the rebuild of the franchise. Vrana scored 22 goals in 42 games for Detroit. Over an 82-game season, that would work out to a 43-goal campaign.
Jakub Vrana out of the penalty box and on the board in his Red Wings debut pic.twitter.com/m664jfGByD
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 16, 2021
However, substance abuse issues saw Vrana end up entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in the fall of 2023. Upon his return to Detroit, he could never regain his previous form.
Vrana cleared NHL waivers and was assigned to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings traded him to St. Louis in 2024.