Blue Jackets’ Jakub Voracek Likely Won’t Return This Season, Playing Career in Jeopardy
We may have seen the last of Jakub Voracek in the National Hockey League.
The Columbus Blue Jackets forward – who has been sidelined since Nov. 4 due to a concussion – provided an update regarding his health status on Monday, saying he remains out indefinitely with concussion symptoms. He also said there’s a “slim” chance he returns this season.
Voracek revealed that he has suffered at least seven-to-eight concussions throughout his 15 NHL seasons, with two occurring in 2022-23. And while he feels OK right now, he’s nowhere near ready to resume hockey activities.
“Obviously I’m going to make my best efforts to try to [return], but it might be a long process,” Voracek said to reporters Monday. “As of now, I don’t see myself playing in the near future, but I’ll do everything in my power to try to get back on the ice.”
The 33-year-old’s first of two head injuries took place at some point earlier this season, although he didn’t miss any games. His most recent one, however, transpired in Finland against the Colorado Avalanche during the first of two matchups as part of the NHL’s Global Series.
Early in the third period of an eventual 6-3 Avs victory, Voracek was struck below his nose with a high stick by Colorado’s Dryden Hunt, who received a double-minor penalty for his actions. But that may have been the final straw for the 2014-15 All-Star’s career.
After the team returned to Columbus, Voracek attended each morning practice as an observer, watching his teammates from about 10 rows up at Nationwide Arena. His visits have become far less frequent amid his lingering concussion symptoms, though.
There’s plenty of concern throughout the organization about the veteran’s long-term health, on and off the ice. At this point, it remains unclear if he’s already played his final NHL game.
“But I’m more worried about him having a normal life,” Kekalainen said to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. “He has a young family. The most important thing is that he lives a normal life. There are a lot of guys who have had this happen, and one’s working in our front office right now, with his jersey number hanging in the rafters.”
Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets’ director of player development, retired after his age-34 season in 2019 due to lingering concussion symptoms. So he can probably relate to the struggles that Voracek is currently enduring.
The 6-foot-2 forward, who resides on the club’s injured reserve, carries an $8.25 million cap hit per season through 2023-24 before becoming an unrestricted free agent during the ensuing off-season. He will likely spend the remainder of this season on LTIR.
Once that transfer occurs, Voracek will join teammates Zach Werenski ($9.5 million cap hit) and Adam Boqvist ($2.6 million cap hit), increasing Columbus’ LTIR relief pool to roughly $20.4 million.
After spending 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Blue Jackets reacquired Voracek in exchange for Cam Atkinson during the 2021 off-season, reuniting him with the franchise that drafted him seventh overall in 2007.
The left-hander has registered 223 goals and 806 points across 1,058 career regular-season games from 2008-22. He also owns six seasons of playoff experience, scoring nine goals and 19 points.
Voracek has posted one goal and six points in 11 games with Columbus while averaging 15:58 minutes of ice-time per night this season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: 5of7. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.