Columbus Blue Jackets Season in Review: Jakub Voracek

Maybe the saddest moment of the Blue Jacket season was when the team traded Jakub Voracek’s rights to the Arizona Coyotes at the trade deadline. This came after Voracek suffered a severe concussion and had been sidelined in November – and essentially spelled the end of a tremendous career.

It seems like we were robbed of Voracek’s golden age, an unfair kick in the rear from a season that went horribly for the entire franchise. After re-acquiring him from Philadelphia in the summer of 2021, we were delighted to see him lead the team in scoring last season with 62 points – in spite of only scoring 6 goals.

His 56 assists were the second most in franchise history, something that really flew under the radar, but it highlights how good Voracek was for the young team last season. More importantly, the wily veteran became a voice in the locker room, and his play alongside rookies Cole Sillinger and Yegor Chinakhov was dynamic and gave us an excitement we hadn’t seen in years; arguably since the team swept Tampa Bay in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.

This season, it felt like Jakub might be able to take a more secondary role after the team signed Johnny Gaudreau in free agency last year. But that isn’t in his game – Voracek came out flying like always, skating with the puck and dishing out absolute dimes early and often. Unfortunately, in the team’s trip to Finland in early November, he took a high-stick that would ultimately end his season – and leave his career in jeopardy.

Voracek finished the season with one goal and 5 assists through 11 games. This is roughly a 45 point pace, but it’s worth noting that I thought he was heating up at the time of his injury. In fact, he was probably on track for another 55-60 point season from the “eye test” side of things. Truly, we were robbed of another magical year from the 33 year old.

He was dealt to Arizona at the deadline, along with a sixth round pick, in exchange for goaltender Jon Gillies. We all know what the trade to the desert probably means for Jakub, and it’s an awful way to see his career come to a close, if that’s what happens. If anyone deserved to ride off into the sunset on a high note, I’m cheering harder for the carefree personality that is Jakub Voracek.

Final season stats: 11 games played, 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, 0 PIMs, -7, 17 shots on goal. Overall grade: A+++

Call me a hypocrite or whatever you’d like, but I’m not just grading Jakub on this season…I’m grading him on an amazing career. He was an underrated top end player for his entire time in the NHL, playing over 1000 games and posting more than 800 points. By the time it’s all said and done, he’s one of the greatest players to ever suit up in a Blue Jacket uniform, and the game will not be the same without his trademark orange beard flying around the offensive zone.

Bonus: man, what a guy. Enjoy life’s future endeavors, Jakub.