The Flyers pick of Claude Giroux with the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft was comical – then GM Bobby Clarke couldn't remember his name. Now it's synonymous with Flyers hockey.
From a very early point in the now 27-year-old center's career, you could tell this was a special player and captain material.
It started simple enough. Giroux barely played in his first two seasons in the NHL, getting two games at the end of the 2007-08 season and bouncing between the AHL and NHL in 2008-09. By the time the Flyers made a run for the Stanley Cup in 2009-10, Giroux was a focal point on the roster, even if he was only getting third-line minutes.
When Giroux moved to the top line and received a bulk of the playing time among forwards, he formed several successful partnerships with linemates – Jaromir Jagr, Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere. But it wasn't until the 2013-14 season that Giroux and Jake Voracek were paired together for more than just power-play minutes.
Voracek was traded to the Flyers as part of the Jeff Carter deal with Columbus prior to the 2011-12 season. Voracek was a seventh-overall pick in the 2007 Draft, certainly with a lot of potential, but it hadn't been realized in Columbus. Voracek's career-high for goals and points came in the 2009-10 season. He played 81 games that year and had 50 points.
The Flyers have been a team that has given up on players too soon in their careers or never gave them the chance to grow to fruition over an option that seemed like a good idea at the time – Peter Forsberg, Justin Williams, Patrick Sharp, James Van Riemsdyk and so on. Voracek is one name on the other side of the list.
Upon his arrival in Philadelphia, Voracek did grow into a greater scoring threat. He set a new career-high in goals in his first season with the Flyers and has broken it every year since. Last season, he set a new career-high in points with 62 in 82 games. At the All-Star break, through 48 games, Voracek is six goals and six points away from matching his career highs.
Voracek showed shades of being a point-per-game player in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. He had 46 points in 48 games. But Voracek wasn't satisfied with production alone.
During the past offseason, Voracek added 10 pounds and became a much stronger player and it shows. Voracek has easily stepped around defensemen, worked his way into the dirty areas and become lethal with his shot from the slot.
But there is something else noticable about Voracek's game.
As Giroux was rising through the ranks, it was easy to see he possessed the heart and leadership of a captain. A lot of times, the identifier of a captain to the average fan is someone who is willing to call out the team when the red light is on before or after a game. To Giroux, it is about what you do on the ice.
Before Giroux was named captain in the 2013 season, he showed that will and leadership in the playoff series in 2011-12 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then head coach Peter Laviolette said Giroux came to him and said he wanted the first shift of Game 6. Giroux laid a heavy hit on Sidney Crosby and scored just 32 seconds into the game.
More than Giroux's knack for rising to the occasion is his pure emotion on the ice. This is Giroux's place to show leadership. It's not going to happen in front of a camera talking to reporters. But then again…
Giroux stood in front of reporters after a 1-7-0 start to the 2013-14 season. He said the following words.
"We'll take it game-by-game and we will make the playoffs."
In late April, the Flyers were playing in Game 7 of the first round against the New York Rangers. Giroux's prophecy had come true.
Voracek is starting to turn into the same kind of player. No, he doesn't wear a letter. But watch Voracek after one of his teammates scores a goal. The emotion is amazing.
Voracek is just 25 with a lot of potential ahead. The Flyers have another budding superstar on their hands, even if Voracek feels like he is simply the compliment to Giroux. Playing with Giroux does help, but Voracek is certainly a star in his own right.
Dominant lines are built on chemistry. The Legion of Doom was always about Eric Lindros and John LeClair. Even with Mikael Renberg being a formidable player on the line, Lindros and LeClair were the headliners.
A lot of other players could join Giroux and Voracek and be successful because they share the ice with two stars – both representing the Flyers in Sunday's All-Star Game and at the top of the NHL point standings. But Giroux and Voracek have a chemistry that can not easily be broken, much like Lindros and LeClair did.
The Flyers season may not be shining as bright as fans would like, and Giroux and Voracek's proclamations about still being a playoff team may not come true. But the Flyers have the core of their forwards in place with the two All-Star forwards.
We all knew Giroux would be there. Nobody could have expected this from Voracek, except maybe Voracek himself, who had always been playing at this rate, just not getting the minutes or attention in the shadow of Giroux.
In Friday's All-Star Fantasy Draft, Voracek was picked before Giroux and sits as the NHL's point leader. He's not in a shadow any longer.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
