Jake Voracek was among the team's MVPs last year.
An invaluable contributor to the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2021-22 campaign, Voracek was a leader on and off the ice, helping mentor the young guys and leading the way with 62 points and 56 assists.
He probably won't lead the Blue Jackets in scoring this season.
That is, of course, because of the Blue Jackets dipping their toe into free agency and coming away with the best free agent, Johnny Gaudreau. As a result, Voracek likely won't see much time on the first line now that Gaudreau is on the team and will be the first-line left winger, and Patrik Laine projects to be on the other end.
Yet, Voracek was definitely a vital cog in the Blue Jackets' offensive machine last season as his point totals at the top suggest.
As Laine reclaimed his scoring production in 2021-22, much of that success can be attributed to Voracek, who was among the keys to helping unlock Laine's potential.
Voracek and Laine found on-ice chemistry last season as the two connected on 23 scoring plays. Laine assisted on two of Voracek's six goals and Voracek assisted on nine of Laine's 26 goals.
So how might Voracek's role change in 2022-23?
The addition of Gaudreau will allow for even more explosive scoring opportunities, helping take the pressure off the supporting cast including Voracek, which can also help allow for more favorable ice-time possibilities. Overall last season, Voracek started 69.0% of his zone starts in the offensive zone and 56.9% of those came in 5v5 situations, which has become more of a common occurrance over the last three seasons.
Voracek can still be dangerous in the right situations, and once the Blue Jackets tilt the ice offensively, he, in turn, can continue to feed Laine, find more options with Gaudreau, and connect with Cole Sillinger, Kent Johnson, and others.
Perfection: Johnson shows off the skill and patience with the pass, and Voracek scores his sixth. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/e7kd0cam0P
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 28, 2022
Voracek, who has never been quite an explosive goal scorer, will likely continue that trend, but as he showed last season, he's going to find his teammates on the ice and create offense.
Evolving-Hockey
While Voracek and his addition wasn't the only reason for the Blue Jackets' offense taking a step last season, Voracek is the type of player the team seemed to be lacking before the year, as the true pass-first facilitator was able to distribute the puck on a nightly basis and set up linemates in a variety of ways.
He feels like the type of player teams look to acquire to help push them over the edge and lead by example on the ice. Voracek will look to continue to make that impact this season.
Adding Gaudreau to that mix, who can score and also likes to pass, will add more options for the team offensively, and create additional looks for opponents to contend with.
Gaudreau said he considers himself a playmaker and as he put it, sometimes gets in trouble passing the puck too much.
”I consider myself a playmaker, try to move the puck a little bit more,” Gaudreau said. “I get in trouble sometimes passing too much, my dad always gives me a hard time ‘shoot the puck, shoot the puck,’ but I like passing.”
As Gaudreau enters the lineup and that ripple effect moves players down, also providing more depth down the lineup, a player like Voracek can add that much-needed facilitator role in more areas of the game.
Depending on who he’s lined up with, he could help additional players break out, such as Yegor Chinakhov, Johnson, Sillinger, and the rest of the young guys.
Voracek, 33 years old, will be a UFA after the 2023-24 season.
