Instant Analysis: Flyers Trade Voracek for Atkinson

In a major trade designed to change the mix on the team, free up much-needed additional cap space and bolster the penalty kill with a player who is also a proven NHL goal scorer, the Flyers traded veteran right winger Jakub Voracek to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday for veteran right winger Cam Atkinson in a one-for-one trade. Voracek is much more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer. Atkinson is more goal-scorer than set-up guy.

Voracek was a productive offensive player over his 10 seasons in Philadelphia. He departs as the 10th all-time leading scorer and top European-born scorer in franchise history with 604 points in 727 regular season games. He ranks fifth in assists (427) and 10th in games played.
Atkinson is the second leading scorer in Blue Jackets history with 402 points in 627 games, trailing only Rick Nash. He's also second to Nash in goals scored with 213. Leaguewide over the last six seasons, Cam Atkinson ranks 28th in even strength goals (one more than new Flyers teammate James van Riemsdyk) and is tied with Brad Marchand and Sebastian Aho for the most shorthanded goals (12). Although Atkinson only stands 5-foot-8, he plays with enormous heart. A fearless competitor, Atkinson plays with a nonstop motor and will routinely make second and third efforts in puck battles.
"To me, Cam Atkinson is what we call a hockey player, and he just loves to play the game of hockey. Tremendous energy. You probably heard that in his press conference today. He's a player that really can contribute every which way. I think he's been one of the better five-on-five goal scorers in the league over seven, eight years. He drives play. He's an elite penalty killer. I think he's second to Brad Marchand in shorthanded goals going back to 2014. He's been a really good scorer during the playoffs. There's really not much he can't do. For a guy that isn't that tall, he's tenacious.," Flyers president of hockey operations and general manager Brent Flahr said.
Voracek and Atkison are the same age. Atkinson turned 32 on June 5. Voracek will turn 32 on August 15. Both players said that they will look back fondly at their long tenures, respectively, with the Flyers and Blue Jackets. Both also are excited to turn the page and get a fresh start.
Voracek began his NHL career in Columbus. Atkinson, who sported at his introductory Zoom media conference a Gritty t-shirt that his wife obtained when they visited old friend and former Blue Jackets teammate Scott Hartnell's house, said that he has several friends on the Flyers. For one, he and Kevin Hayes were collegiate teammates for a season at Boston College.
"I love Columbus, but I couldn't be more excited to be joining the Flyers organization. I personally think I'm going to fit in very well," Atkinson said. "With special teams, I'll be able to help out, especially on the PK. I think I fit the mold pretty well. I'm super excited. You can see with Chuck Fletcher what they are trying to do with bringing in certain guys."
Atkinson and fellow new acquisitions Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen have all been alternate captains in the NHL. Fletcher said that this was not a coincidence. Apart from specific hockey skills -- Atkinson's tenacity, Ellis' all-situations game, Ristolainen's physicality and heavy shot -- all three players check off specific boxes in terms of the approach they bring to the rink every day. Moreover, Fletcher said that he felt the roster as a whole needed an injection of new blood on the ice and new voices in the locker room to supplement established leaders such as team captain Claude Giroux and center Sean Couturier.
"We just can't keep bringing the same players back year after year and expect different results. We had to make changes this year. The players that we've added are all what I would call high energy, competitive people. How often have we talked about our slow starts over the past two, three years since I've been here and allegedly a lot longer than that?" Fletcher said.
"We need some juice. We need some energy. We need to change the mood in the room and the energy in the room. It's nothing against the players that we had here before. It's about trying to create a new group, a new leadership group, new chemistry. All these guys we have acquired besides being good hockey players bring a lot of those qualities, bring a lot of experience, and bring a lot of professionalism to our roster."
From a salary cap management perspective, there's a trade off in the Voracek-for-Atkinson transaction. The Flyers save $2.875 million in cap space (Voracek's $8.25 million AAV versus Atkinson's $5.875 million AAV). However, Atkinson's contract has four seasons left to go, while Voracek has three.
Currently, the Flyers have a maximum of $12.46 million of cap space under the ceiling. Fletcher said that the team and unrestricted free agent defenseman Sam Morin will finalize a new contract imminently. The team also has to re-sign restricted free agent goaltender Carter Hart, arbitration-eligible restricted free agent defenseman Travis Sanheim and sign or acquire a second goaltender to pair in tandem with Hart.
The Flyers now have enough cap space to comfortably do all of these things. Beyond that, Fletcher said he'd look at options to add more depth on defense and/or among the forwards. However, the team does not have enough cap space to bid on upper echelon free agents nor does it want to spend to the ceiling. The team also wants to give young players such as Morgan Frost and Cam York a fair shot at winning NHL roster spots out of training camp.
Trades are still possible, but most likely, not of the same magnitude of the deals of the past week.