How many people’s preseason predictions included Jakub Voracek winning the Art Ross Trophy this season? The list probably isn’t that long and wouldn’t have included Voracek himself.
Still, that’s the situation we’re in as he entered the All-Star break with 17 goals and 56 points in 48 contests, which gives him a four-point edge over Tyler Seguin.
“I would be lying if I said I knew I was going to be leading the points by January,” Voracek conceded to NHL.com. “I’ve really worked hard for it. But it doesn’t mean that I was on top for 45 games and now I just let up. I’ve just got to keep working hard and try to get better.”
Part of Voracek’s success comes from his pairing with Claude Giroux, but he’s become a talented forward in his own right.
“He’s putting the work in now and he’s simplified his game,” Flyers coach Craig Berube said. “He’s shooting pucks, getting to the net, things like that. A guy with that skill, and he does the right things all the time, he’s going to produce.”
The 25-year-old forward’s rise isn’t exactly a sudden development as he had 45 goals and 108 points in 130 contests over the previous two seasons. Still, his current career-high is only 62 points, which is a mark he’s set to obliterate.
His success has been a silver lining in what has been a rough campaign for the Flyers and has made the Jeff Carter to Columbus trade look like a steal. In addition to getting Voracek, Philadelphia also got two draft picks, which became Sean Couturier and Nick Cousins. The Blue Jackets certainly didn’t get the better end of that deal, but of course the loss of Carter itself is a more complicated matter given that he went on to win two championships with Los Angeles after being reunited with fellow ex-Flyer, Mike Richards.
Carter and Richards have to be pleased with how things worked out, but the two of them have combined to score 17 goals and 48 points this season. That doesn’t match Voracek’s production.