Reporter Reveals Why Steve Yzerman Waived Jakob Vrana

I remember a few years ago doing an interview with Steve Yzerman (still a player at the time), talking about opportunities being «deserved." The move was jarring when I first saw it, but the more I thought about it, the more I got it.

Vrana's struggled in his return to the AHL, while some of Detroit's younger players, particularly, Jonatan Berggren, grabbed the NHL opportunity. Head coach Derek Lalonde initially said he wanted to keep his young players in the lineup when Robby Fabbri returned, but the final decision was his GM's. Yzerman's a big believer in playing those who deserve to play. And, when you're trying to build yourself into a winner, you have to stick to that.