Philadelphia Flyers: This season is crucial for the legacy of Jakub Voracek

A big season for Jakub Voracek could go a long way for the Philadelphia Flyers.

As we continue to inch closer and closer to puck drop of the 2021 Philadelphia Flyers season, I can’t help but look at the roster and be so happy with the progress made by the Orange and Black in the past few years. The abundance of youth is so refreshing. It is almost as if we had gotten so used to what had essentially become the norm for the Flyers the last decade or so; a roster littered with aging veterans on awful contracts, spinning their tires in mediocrity.

As Jakub Voracek enters his tenth season with the Orange and Black (hard to believe its been ten years, I know), he aims to deflect the narrative that he himself is now an aging veteran with a bad contract. There is no question the offensive skill is still there, now it is just a matter of continuing to display it. A big season from Jake could go a long way towards helping the Philadelphia Flyers reach the heights they aspire to reach.

It really is crazy to sit back and think this will be the tenth season Voracek is a member of the Flyers. It seems like just yesterday, he was brought in from the Columbus Blue Jackets as a 22 year old kid along with a first and third round pick (which became Sean Couturier and Nick Cousins) in exchange for Jeff Carter. Well, that was all the way back in the summer of 2011.

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At that point in time, the move was a shocker as the Flyers had just extended Carter to a massive contract just a few months earlier, and it signaled a change in direction for a franchise that had come close to winning a Stanley Cup with that current core (they just couldn’t get over the hump). It is easy to say Jeff Carter made out best in that deal, as he was later sent to the Los Angeles Kings to be reunited with his good buddy Mike Richards, and subsequently went on to win two Stanley Cups out in Tinsel Town.

However, getting Voracek and Couturier is one heck of a return, even if it took way longer than expected for the Orange and Black to return to contender status. Now at 31 years old, Jake Voracek has transformed into a seasoned veteran for the Flyers, all the while putting together some really impressive numbers while wearing an Orange sweater.

Through 674 career games with Philadelphia, Voracek has scored 168 goals while adding 393 assists which totals out to 561 career points for the Flyers. Believe it or not, by the time Jake’s career with the Philadelphia Flyers has come to an end, he is going to find himself right near the top of many of the franchises leaders in a lot of major categories.

Currently, Voracek sits sixth all time in franchise history for assists. He will be in the top five rather soon, as he only sits two back of Mark Recchi who is fifth all time for the Flyers with 395. It is very likely by the end of next season, he will find himself third in this category in franchise history, as he is only 87 assists away from getting there.

At this point in time, he finds himself outside the top ten in franchise history for games played as well as career points. However, he will get into the top ten for games played this season (assuming he stays healthy), as he is only 51 games away from getting to that milestone. For points, it is entirely possible he gets into the top ten this season as well, as he is only 40 points away from reaching this milestone as well.

So yes, he has gotten himself into the conversation of some all time great Philadelphia Flyers; the thing missing is the playoff success. The majority of his time with the franchise has been spent in mediocrity, so the fact that the team appears now ready to compete is crucial to the legacy Voracek will leave behind when his playing days are over.

The funny thing is, he is still going to be counted on to contribute in a big way. He proved to still be a very productive player this past season, as he totaled 12 goals and 44 assists (56 points) in 69 regular season games. He chipped in 4 goals and 5 assists (9 points) in 15 playoff games as well.

The biggest issue most fans have with number 93, is he just never seems to want to shoot the puck, which is crazy because if he did shoot the puck, this is a guy who could score 30+ goals every single season. He has never even reached that plateau, which really hammers home how little he shoots the puck. The most goals he has ever scored in a season is 23 back in 2013-2014 (although he did score 22 back in the 48 game lockout shortened 2012-2013 season).

Last season alone, Jake only averaged 1.9 shots per game which is a big reason why he was only able to produce 12 goals. The need to shoot the puck is there, and if he can begin to do so, it would not only help the team and its putrid Power Play, but it would also make his ridiculous $8.25 million dollar cap hit not look as bad.

With all this being said, number 93 is an underappreciated player in the history of the Philadelphia Flyers. If the team can reach the heights many fans believe they can, it would go a long way towards solidifying the legacy of Jakub Voracek.