In a press release coming out of the Czech Extraliga, former player Jakub Voracek will be joining the Kladno Knights as a powerplay coach for their 2023-24 season. Born and raised in Kladno, Voracek will return home, having his career cut short last year due to concussion symptoms.
A long-time member of both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers organizations, Voracek is currently under contract with the Arizona Coyotes for the 2023-24 season, with his $8.25MM salary currently in one of the team’s LTIR slots. Last March, once it was understood that Voracek would likely never play again due to his concussions, the Blue Jackets traded him, along with a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, to the Coyotes in exchange for goaltender Jon Gillies.
Finding his path in life after hockey, it would have been difficult to find a better powerplay specialist for Kladno. During his time in the NHL, Voracek was one of the better playmakers of his generation when healthy, scoring 55 goals and 204 assists on the powerplay throughout his 1,058 games in the NHL over 15 years.
Other snapshots:
- The New York Rangers will be missing top prospect Brennan Othmann for a few days of training camp, as the team announced this morning he is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Already carrying a solid top-six forward group heading into the season, it would have been difficult for Othmann to crack the Rangers’ roster out of training camp regardless of this injury. However, he is poised to wreak havoc at the AHL level for the Hartford Wolf Pack, after having scored 29 goals and 38 assists in 56 games during his last season in the OHL.
- Vince Mercogliano of USA Today reports that the top center for the New York Rangers, Mika Zibanejad, was seen going to the locker room this morning, favoring his right arm after slowly getting off the ice. It’s still to be seen whether or not Zibanejad will miss time, or the seriousness of the injury altogether. The Rangers currently have the center depth necessary to weather the storm of potentially losing out on Zibanejad for the time being, but can not afford to lose him for a considerable time with Stanley Cup aspirations.
Nothing will matter this season if Kakko and Lafreniere get the same treatment under Laviolette that they did under Gallant and Quinn. The Rangers absolutely need both top picks to break out to give them any legitimate shot at challenging for the Cup. They need and have earned top-six minutes and meaningful power play time. Putting Wheeler (who I happen to like) or anyone else in the top-six is not going to be the difference between contending or not. However, if both kids are allowed to, and indeed start playing up to their potential, together with all the other talent in the squad, the Rangers will be as dangerous as any other team in the NHL.
If the Rangers move Laffy to RW (I’d prefer Panarin to move over), Othmann will sit to the left of Chytil. He’s not going down to Hartford – he’s shown he has done all that is needed there. Time to get broken in at the pro level.
Kreider, Zib, Panarin
Laffy, Troch, Kakko
Othmann, Chytil, Wheeler
Ves, Good, whoever
Not sure I’d look to break Laffy/Kakko apart, but if needed, then Laffy to RW first line and Panarin to the second line. Just feel the lines need facilitators and Panarin, Kakko and Wheeler on the RW provide that for each line.