Flyers acquire Cam Atkinson from Blue Jackets for Jakub Voracek
Atkinson #Atkinson
The Philadelphia Flyers sent Jakub Voracek to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Cam Atkinson on Saturday, the first major trade on the second day of the NHL Draft.
Atkinson wasted no time showing his allegiance to his new team, wearing a Gritty T-shirt on a media Zoom session only 30 minutes after the undersized winger with scoring pop was shipped to the Flyers. The shirt is his wife’s — a gift from best friend and former Flyers forward Scott Hartnell.
“Everything is all aligned perfectly,” Atkinson said. “We’re ready for this. Couldn’t be more excited.”
Voracek, who turns 32 in August, returns to the team that drafted him in 2007 after a much-needed split with the Flyers, with whom he spent the past 10 seasons and put up 604 points in 727 regular-season games.
Atkinson, who starred at Boston College, leaves the only NHL organization he has ever known after scoring 213 goals in 627 games with the Blue Jackets.
“I didn’t ask for a trade, but I don’t think this couldn’t have worked out any better,” he said. “It gets to a point where losing isn’t fun. Who knows how the Blue Jackets are going to do this year? It’s pretty obvious what they’re trying to do right now. To see all my best buddies leave, that was tough to say the least.”
Columbus has traded Atkinson, Seth Jones, David Savard, and captain Nick Foligno over the past four months.
“This is a significant trade for our club and we are very excited to welcome Jake Voracek back to the Blue Jackets family,” Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He is a powerful, dynamic offensive player that will be a significant contributor to our club. Adding a player like that comes at a cost, and I want to thank Cam Atkinson for his many contributions to the Blue Jackets and Columbus community over the past 10 years.”
It’s Philadelphia’s second major trade in two days after acquiring defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen from Buffalo for the No. 14 pick this year and a 2023 second-rounder. After taking on Ristolainen’s big contract, GM Chuck Fletcher saved more than $2 million in cap space by swapping Voracek for Atkinson.
Makar is rewarded
Before the second day of the draft got under way, the Avalanche signed top defenseman Cale Makar to a $54 million, six-year contract that will count $9 million against the salary cap through the 2026-27 season.
His deal comes on the heels of Chicago acquiring Jones from Columbus and extending the star defenseman for $76 million over eight seasons and Dallas inking Miro Heiskanen to a $67.6 million, eight-year contract.
Makar, a former UMass Amherst star, was a point-a-game player last season, his second in the NHL, and the 22-year-old has 94 points in his first 101 regular-season games. He’s set to make $8 million next season, $9 million in the second year, then $11 million, $10.6 million, $8.7 million, and $6.7 million as part of a contract that takes into account the expected rise of the salary cap.
Family connection
Shane Doan recused himself from any scouting meetings when his son was brought up.
One of the faces of the Coyotes for two decades, Doan is part of their front office now, and only Friday night saw the draft list whittling down to the point he knew it was possible Josh Doan would be their pick. It happened early in the second round when the Coyotes took Doan with the 37th pick, bringing in a prospect homegrown in the Valley.
“Today was a day he’s worked a long time and hard for,” said Shane Doan, who’s now Arizona’s chief hockey development officer. “It’s surreal that it happened to be the Coyotes. He deserves every single bit of everything he’s getting today and so proud of him.”
Shane Doan played 20 seasons in Arizona before retiring in 2017. His No. 19 hangs in the rafters as one of the few numbers retired by the Coyotes.
Steal for Islanders?
Lou Lamoriello might be 78, but the Islanders GM still knows how to make waves in the hockey world.
Lamoriello and the Islanders might have gotten the steal of the draft by taking 6-foot-2-inch Finnish center Aatu Raty with the No. 52 pick. Raty was ranked third among skaters playing in Europe and still slipped past the middle of the second round.