Blue Jackets
“A decade is a decade,” Voracek said. “It's a little bit different than it used to be. A lot of things happened in 10 years. I was a young kid (before), 19 or 20 years old, just playing hockey, playing Call of Duty and going out for dinners. You don't worry about anything.
"Now, I have more responsibilities with the team and off the ice, as well, so it's way different. But that's how you evolve as a human, right? Things like that happening. I'm excited the way my life is right now. I'm pumped to be back.”
He has changed on the ice, too. Thanks to knowledge gained from a decade as one of the league's top scorers, Voracek's insights have already paid off. The Blue Jackets went 7 of 25 (28%) on power plays in the preseason, including 46.2 percent (6 of 13) in Voracek's four games.
It's exactly what general manager Jarmo Kekalainen wanted from the trade.
“For me as a coach, (Voracek) is a great asset,” said assistant coach Pascal Vincent, who is coordinating the Jackets' power play. “He's vocal. He knows what he wants and he knows what works. So, we work together.”
Voracek was acquired primarily because the Blue Jackets needed somebody to feed passes across to star left wing Patrik Laine.
Voracek also has good passing options during power plays to Zach Werenski up top, Boone Jenner in front of the net and Oliver Bjorkstrand in the slot.
“Choose what you're going to cover,” Vincent said. “Jake has a real good ability to read plays quick, because he's a student of the game, and he's a good passer. He's also a good shooter, but he's a great passer. He sees those options, the seam pass, the middle, the goal line. It goes pretty quick and he sees them pretty quick.”
The Blue Jackets are one of the youngest teams in the NHL and need established veterans to be strong leaders. Voracek is eager to help fill that void.
“As an older guy on the team, it's an opportunity for me,” he said. “I'm put in a spot that I can be successful, and I'm going to be in a spot to help everybody around me, which I've always wanted. I had it in Philly, too, but I wasn't leaned on by the coaching staff as much, which is exciting for me this time.”
Call it a reset, for Voracek and the Blue Jackets. Just don't call it a “rebuild” around the new/old playmaker.
“I always see the positive,” Voracek said. “Everybody says it's a rebuild. Well, if it's a rebuild, why would Jarmo trade for an $8.25 million player that is 32 years old, you know? I kind of sense out of that, that they want me to be a guy to guide the guys through the next couple years. And I take it as a huge opportunity.” bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger