5 things to know about the Atkinson-Voracek deal

If you thought day two of the NHL draft would be less interesting than a blockbuster day one for the Blue Jackets, you had another thing coming Saturday morning.
Columbus again pulled off a huge move, trading longtime forward Cam Atkinson to Philadelphia for a familiar name in Jake Voracek.
It's a lot to unpack, but here's five immediate thoughts about the deal.

1. Thanks for everything, Cam: Well, this is a tough one. If you look up fan favorite in the CBJ dictionary, you'll come across Cam Atkinson. Blue Jackets fans watched him develop from an undersized but supremely talented youngster into a bona fide star, a two-time All-Star who topped 40 goals and is now second all-time in CBJ annals in games, goals and points. On top of that, he became a pillar of the Columbus community, with a number of charity initiatives and ownership in the Battery Hockey Academy, which is helping grow the game in the community. Just three players have suited up in 10 different seasons for the Blue Jackets, and Columbus now has traded two of them in the past few months -- Atkinson and David Savard. Simply put, Cam is a CBJ legend.

2. Welcome back, Jake:What also makes the trade so interesting is the return in Voracek. He's certainly no stranger to Blue Jackets fans, as Voracek was the team's first-round pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft. Dealing Voracek to Philadelphia in the Jeff Carter deal is one of those "what might have been?" trades, as everyone obviously remembers Carter's short tenure in Columbus, while Voracek has gone on to being one of the most consistent forwards in the NHL. In 10 years with the Flyers, the Czech forward finished with a 177-427-604 line in 727 games, including an 85-point season in 2017-18. Voracek is coming off a season in which he had just nine goals but added 34 assists for 43 points in 53 games.
3. Immediate impact: It's an intriguing one-for-one swap, with the two teams going in different directions immediately. The Flyers get someone who is more of a goal scorer than a distributor, with the hope Atkinson -- who had 15 goals in 56 games last year -- continues to be able to finish as he has throughout his NHL career. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, add a more physical presence (Voracek is 6-2, 214) who is a solid facilitator (you could certainly see him setting up Patrik Laine, couldn't you?). It's a bit of a need filled by the Blue Jackets, and Voracek still has some gas in the tank as the soon-to-be 32-year-old was on a 66-point pace this past year.
4. Down the road: As with any deal in a salary cap world, you have to look at the financial implications. Atkinson had the second-longest deal left among CBJ players, with four more years on his deal at $5.875 million per year. Voracek, meanwhile, has three years left on a deal that carries a cap hit of $8.25 million per year. With Columbus entering the day nearly $30 million short of the cap for 2021-22 and a likely rebuild under way, the Blue Jackets can afford to take on that extra money while also losing a year on the back end when the contention window is likely to reopen.
5. All the context: If you look at what the Blue Jackets have done in the past two days, the rebuild is on. It's never going to be easy when a fan favorite like Atkinson is traded, but that's the price of doing business with where the Blue Jackets are at the moment. In the meantime, Columbus added five young pieces on Friday and then turned the page a bit by trading Atkinson on Saturday. As we said, Columbus could take on the money to bring in someone like Voracek, and the next few seasons will likely be about building for the future. Going forward, Voracek will add another veteran voice and someone who the team feels fits into the current mix a little bit better. You can see a contention window opening for the Blue Jackets in the next two to three years when you add in the players acquired this weekend along with such young talent as Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy.