48 hours after signing forward Sean Couturier to a contract extension, the Philadelphia Flyers have locked up their most important forward next to captain Claude Giroux in Jakub Voracek. The former Columbus Blue Jacket was extended for eight years at $66 million for an AAV of $8.25M per season once it kicks in at the 2016-17 NHL season.
Breaking: The #Flyers have agreed to terms with RW Jake Voracek on a multi-year contract extension → http://t.co/z4FABBtNGP
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) July 30, 2015
Voracek (25, 8/15/1989) completed his seventh NHL season in 2014-15 and led the Flyers with 81 points and 59 assists, while his 22 goals ranked third on the team. His 59 assists ranked second among all NHL players, while his 81 points tied for fourth-best in the NHL. He also posted new career highs in points (81), assists (59), power-play goals (11), power-play points (33), game-winning goals (tied – 3) and penalty minutes (78).
He was awarded the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team’s Most Valuable Player for the second time in his Flyers career (2012-13), and was named to the NHL’s postseason First All-Star Team becoming the first Flyers to earn an NHL postseason All-Star honor since the 2000-01 season (G – Roman Cechmanek, 2nd Team All-Star) and the first time a Flyers earned First Team All-Star since the 1997-98 season (LW – John LeClair).
A native of Kladno, Czech Republic, Voracek was named captain of the Czech team in the 2015 World Championships, where he led the team with 10 points (3g-7a) in 10 games, which was also a career high for him in international play.
Voracek was acquired by the Flyers on June 23, 2011 from the Columbus Blue Jackets along with the Blue Jackets’ first round pick at eighth overall (Sean Couturier) and third-round pick at 68th overall (Nick Cousins).
He has recorded 85 goals and 153 assists for 238 points in 290 games as a Flyer, and since the start of the 2012-13 season, Voracek has led all NHL wingers in assists (122) and is third in overall point production (189).
He has also recorded three straight seasons of playing every game and is the current “iron-man” leader for the Flyers, appearing in 226 consecutive games played. He has missed only four games as a Flyer (290 of 294) and has appeared in 531 out of a possible 540 games played since his first NHL game on Oct. 10, 2008.
In seven seasons in the NHL, Voracek has recorded 124 goals and 248 assists for 372 points in 531 games for the Flyers and Blue Jackets (2008-11). He was drafted in the first round (7th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by Columbus.
