For 10 seasons, Cam Atkinson was to Columbus what Claude Giroux has been to the Flyers — a franchise icon.

So you can understand why the emotions will be swirling Thursday, when Atkinson, now the Flyers’ leading goal scorer, faces his former team for the first time in his career.

“I don’t know if it’s quite hit me yet,” Atkinson said.  “There’s definitely going to be some emotion there. I feel like it’s probably going to be more emotional when we go to Columbus. … It’ll definitely be interesting.”

Acquired in the July deal that sent Jake Voracek to the Blue Jackets, Atkinson has been as good as advertised. He has 15 goals, 29 points and a plus-6 rating. The wingers will face each other tonight.

Columbus fans aren’t surprised by Atkinson’s success. From 2013-14 through last season, he led the Blue Jackets in goals (197) and points (370).

Atkinson, 32, who has a hockey academy in Columbus and plans to live in that city when his playing days end, said it has been “relatively easy” for him to make the transition to the Flyers because he knew several of their players and because his wife and the wife of his former Columbus teammate, Scott Hartnell, are best friends. Hartnell is now a Flyers analyst on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

“I love it here, and I think everything happens for a reason,” Atkinson said. “I think I was born to wear the Flyers’ jersey.”

Voracek, who has 25 points (one goal, 24 assists) and a minus-5 rating, came off the COVID list Thursday and will be in the lineup tonight despite not practicing since he went on the protocol Jan. 13.

“I did get a chance to see him (today),” interim coach Mike Yeo said after the Flyers’ morning skate. Yeo said it will be “weird” to face Voracek and “not fun. Having a chance to work with Jake  and coach him, you know how dangerous he can be every time he’s on the ice.”

Yeo smiled: “I would have been OK if he wanted to take one more day off.”

Added Yeo: “I know there’s going to be a lot of emotion for both him and Cam. Both guys were very important players to their organizations. Both gave a lot to their organizations. You come back and now you’re playing against your friends, your (former) teammates. Those are emotional games. I know his team is going to want to play hard for him, and I know our team is going to want to play hard for Cam.”

Yeo was asked if he had learned anything about Atkinson that he didn’t know before he joined the Flyers.

“I always knew he was a competitor, When you played against him, he was a guy who jumped out at you,” he said. “You notice him because of his tenacity and work ethic — whether it’s his ability to create using his speed through the neutral zone, his anticipation … on the penalty kill or five-on-five to create opportunities off the rush. Or just his overall tenacity and how difficult he can be to play against.”

Breakaways

Kevin Hayes, who will be sidelined for three to four weeks, watched the morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center. … Derick Brassard skated Thursday to improve his conditioning, and Yeo said he was “very optimistic” he would soon return to the lineup. “This was a good first step. I talked to him afterward and he said he felt good,” Yeo said. … Yeo said Morgan Frost “didn’t feel real good physically” after playing his third game in four nights Tuesday and had more energy at today’s morning skate.