Voracek gets a second chance in Blue Jackets colors

Ten summers ago, the Blue Jackets traded Jakub Voracek to Philadelphia in a deal that netted Columbus what it thought was a much-needed offensive standout in Jeff Carter.
CBJ fans don't have to be reminded how the trade went, with Carter spending less than a season in Columbus and Voracek becoming one of the most consistent forwards in the NHL. Over the past decade, Blue Jackets fans could only wonder how nice it would have been to have kept Voracek, who went on to post 177 goals and 604 points in 10 seasons with the Flyers.

While the 5th Line missed Voracek, so did Jarmo Kekalainen. The Finnish general manager has only been with the Blue Jackets since 2013, but his love affair with Voracek the player goes back even farther, to the 2007 draft held in Columbus.
Then working in the front office in St. Louis, Kekalainen wanted the Blues to draft Voracek, but the Czech forward wouldn't last until the team's pick at No. 9 overall. In front of the home crowd in Nationwide Arena, Columbus snapped up Voracek with the seventh pick, and Kekalainen could also only wonder what it would be like to have one of the NHL's best playmakers on his team.
That is, until now. Saturday's stunning trade that sent longtime CBJ standout Cam Atkinson to Philadelphia returns Voracek to Columbus, a fitting move that will give player, team and city a chance to come together again.

Or, in Kekalainen's case, for the first time.
"I have really liked the player ever since the draft was here in 2007," the GM said. "I think we had the ninth overall pick with St. Louis and we were trying to move up to get Jake Voracek and couldn't because Columbus picked him. I told Jake, 'I've tried to get you since 2007. Fourteen years later, we got you.'"
For Voracek, the chance to return to the capital city 10 years after he left is something to look forward to. He went into the offseason figuring a trade was possible given his hefty cap hit and the Flyers' desire to shuffle the deck after a lost 2021 season, and to end up back where his career started was a welcome result.
"That is what is most exciting about (the trade)," Voracek said. "There's still a lot of people there in the organization, even in the city of Columbus that I keep in contact with. I was there only three years but I started my career there. I am excited to get back and see them for dinner and talk about everything over beer, and we had a great relationship with the guys when I left Columbus that stayed the same until today, and I'm back so it's exciting."
Just how strong are those ties? Voracek's media availability Saturday afternoon after the trade was interrupted multiple times because his former CBJ teammate (and current team development coach) Derek Dorsett kept calling. In addition to Dorsett, Voracek said he's stayed in touch with such former teammates and current team staffers Jared Boll and Rick Nash, so the chance to reunite is one he's looking forward to.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, see a player with plenty still left in the tank that can provide immediate dividends. Voracek will turn 32 on Aug. 15, but the winger had an impressive age 31 season, posting a 9-34-43 line in 53 games that translates to a 66-point season over 82 games. In general, Voracek is showing no sign of slowing down, as he's averaged 73 points per 82 games over the past four seasons.
In addition, Columbus sees him as a good fit given his distributing abilities, as Voracek remains one of the game's best passers, with 333 assists in the last seven seasons to place sixth in the NHL in that span. That's especially true on the power play, as Voracek has 127 assists on the power play over the past seven seasons, ninth in the NHL, and it's easy to see how he might fit with someone like Patrik Laine both at 5-on-5 and on the man advantage.
"He's more of a passer," Kekalainen said. "He's an excellent power-play guy. He can find the seam passes to the shooters that we think we have in (Oliver) Bjorkstrand, Laine, (Emil) Bemstrom. He is a competitor, too. He has an edge to him and he loves to play hockey. He loves to compete.
"Jake is hungry to show that he has a lot of miles left. I talked to him today, he's very excited to come back to Columbus. He loves it here, he still has friends here. He wants to show everybody that he has a lot left in his tank, and we're excited to have him."
More than a decade later, Kekalainen finally has his man, and Columbus will again be home to the one that got away. Count Voracek among those excited to see what's next.
"I talked to Jarmo and I talked to (Flyers GM) Chuck (Fletcher), and I'm really excited about them putting me in a spot that I can have even more success than I had in Philadelphia," Voracek said. "I'm really excited about that."