Jakub Voracek was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday for Cam Atkinson.
"I'm pretty active on social media in terms of reading stuff," Voracek said, "so I kind of knew [a trade] was going to happen, just [wasn't] sure where or when, so I kind of stayed put, and my girlfriend was telling me to just put the phone down, it's gonna happen at the least expected times. I was fishing with my family and didn't have my phone on me and I had about 10 missed calls from [Philadelphia general manager] Chuck Fletcher and he told me I got traded to Columbus, so she was right."
The 31-year-old forward tied James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux for the Flyers lead with 43 points (nine goals, 34 assists) in 53 games this season. He played 10 seasons for Philadelphia after being traded by Columbus on June 23, 2011.
"I talked to him today," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said of Voracek. "He's very, very excited to come back to Columbus. He loved it here. He still has friends here. He wants to show everybody that he's got a lot left in his tank and we're excited to have him."
Kekalainen said he has had his eye on Voracek since he was assistant general manager with the St. Louis Blues.
"I've really liked the player ever since the draft was here (Columbus) in 2007," Kekalainen said. "I think we had the ninth pick overall with St. Louis and we were trying to move up to get Jake Voracek. We couldn't because Columbus picked him and I told Jake that. 'I've tried to get you since 2007; 14 years later, we got you.'
"He's a good player. He's had a great career and he's got a lot of points in this league and he's hungry to play many more years."
The Blue Jackets selected Voracek with the No. 7 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. He has scored 738 points (216 goals, 522 assists) in 968 games for Columbus and Philadelphia, and 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 49 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"I'm completely different player. I would say I'm a different human being, I'm a father right now," Voracek said of returning to Columbus. "Obviously a lot of changes, especially in the game of hockey in the last 10 years. ... I'm really excited about they're putting me in a spot that I can have even more success than I had in Philadelphia."
Atkinson scored 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 56 games for the Blue Jackets this season. Selected by Columbus in the sixth round (No. 157) of the 2008 NHL Draft, the 32-year-old forward is second in its history in goals (213), points (402) and games played (627), behind Rick Nash in each category (289 goals, 547 points, 674 games).
"Obviously mixed emotions right now," Atkinson said. "It's my kid's third birthday (son Declan), so [I'm] celebrating that way, and obviously have another reason to celebrate as well. I've been here a long time, obviously that's not a secret. I love Columbus, but I couldn't be more excited to join the Flyers organization. I personally think I'm going to fit in very well, I know a couple guys on the team already and special teams I think I'll help out as well, especially with [the penalty kill], and I think I fit the mold pretty well. And like I said, I'm super excited."
The Flyers acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis in a trade with the Nashville Predators for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick on July 17, and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres for their first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (No. 14), a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and defenseman Robert Hagg on Friday.
"You can see with Chuck Fletcher and the rest of management, what they're trying to do and bringing in certain guys," Atkinson said. "Ellis coming in and Ristolainen and other players; there's been a lot of guys on that team that have been around for some time, and sometimes a change is best for an organization.
"I think my energy alone is really going to help the team. I played at [Boston College] with (center) Kevin Hayes and [am] good friends with 'JVR' (van Riemsdyk) and I know Giroux as well. One of my best friends is Scott Hartnell, and he just rants and raves about what a special place Philly is, and as you can see I already got my Gritty shirt, so I'm ready to rock and roll."
Fletcher was asked what he likes about Atkinson.
"Honestly, almost everything," Fletcher told NHL Network. "He's just a hockey player. He's a guy with high energy, a high motor. For a smaller player (5-foot-8, 176 pounds) he scores his goals on the inside, he gets to the net, he pays the price. He's an elite penalty-killer. Just brings energy, commitment, team orientation. Had a great conversation with him on the phone and I was pretty pumped up after it. If he brings that energy every day, then we're going to be a much better hockey team."
The Flyers also traded defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and two picks in the 2022 NHL Draft to the Arizona Coyotes for future considerations on Thursday.
"We certainly traded and moved out some excellent players and players like Jake Voracek that have been instrumental parts of our core for so long," Fletcher said, "but frankly, we needed change, it's time and we think we brought in some players that bring a lot of energy, bring some skill and will certainly change the dynamic of our team going forward."
Columbus made three selections in the first round of the 2021 draft Friday and traded defenseman Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Adam Boqvist and three draft picks.
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and independent correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report
