The Flyers Continue To Overhaul The Heck Out Of Their Roster, Send Jake Voracek To Columbus For Cam Atkinson

Jordie7/24/2021 4:58 PM

Joe Sargent. Getty Images.

After last year's absolute dog shit stretch of hockey starting in March, it was clear that something needed to change with the Philadelphia Flyers roster. It was clear that the guys on this team just weren't capable of getting it done. It's one thing to have a bad week here or there. But this is a team that derailed off the tracks, then just continued to fall off a cliff and explode upon impact. And the most frustrating part about last season is that you knew these players were all capable of performing so much better than they were. You knew they could be great, but for some reason they just never got back on track.

The epitome of that frustration came in the form of Jake Voracek. A guy who could easily have 70-80 points per season, but is just way too inconsistent to keep that production going for a sustained amount of time. Which is perfectly fine for most players considering how hard it is to be consistently dominant in the NHL. But when you're getting paid $8.25M per season? Yeah. You need to be better than 9 goals in 53 games. He's frustrating, he's arrogant, and I'm sure the guys in the locker room love the shit out of him but he just wasn't good enough offensively the past 2 seasons to justify that contract.

So Chuck Fletcher goes out there and makes his 4th trade in the past week to send Voracek back to Columbus in exchange for Cam Atkinson, one for one.

Atkinson's offensive numbers aren't going to jump off the page at you. He had a 41-goal season back in 2018-19 season. He was a 35-goal scorer in 2016-17, too. But for the most part, the Flyers are getting a more complete 2-way player who does all the little things right, and he's significantly cheaper at $5.875M per year. He's under contract for the next 4 seasons at that price, too, which is huge.

Adding guys like Atkinson and Ellis to this roster just make the Flyers a much more complete team. They are both guys who have had leadership roles with their former team and are reliable on both ends of the ice. Guys who will help give this Flyers team a little more identity as that gritty, hard working team that fans have desperately wanted to see again for a while. Tough to play against, won't make a ton of mistakes, and can grind you down. And after shedding cap with the Ghost trade and losing a little more salary on this deal, you have to imagine that Chuck Fletcher still isn't done yet. I'm not sure if this move gets them out of the Tarasenko sweepstakes yet, but the Flyers have $12M in cap space to fuck around with right now.

All in all, you have to be pumped about this past week if you're a Flyers fan. There's nothing more refreshing than a GM realizing that the core of this team was fucked, and actually making a move on it instead of just praying that they figure it out together. The only thing I'm a little worried about is Jake having huge revenge games anytime he plays against Philly now, but that's a bridge we'll cross when we get to it.

P.S. - Exclusive first look at Jake Voracek in a Blue Jackets uniform.