Travis Konecny, a veteran of 488 games for the Philadelphia Flyers, could have his future largely determined by the outcome of his 2023-24 season. If he can continue to make strides, he could have a long-term future in Philadelphia.
Konecny’s Success Last Season
In his 2022-23 campaign, Konecny set a career-high in goals (31) and tied his highest point total at 61. He did this only appearing in 60 games for the club due to injury. When he was on the ice, he served as the Flyers’ leader not only in terms of scoring, but in having a voice as well.
Konecny, 26, is now one of the more experienced players on the Flyers. Since he has been with the organization his whole career, he has earned the respect to be a leader by example.
I tried to take on a little bit more of a leadership role. You can ask anyone, for me it’s not so much the in-the-room stuff. I still joke around and try to keep things fairly light.
Konecny on his leadership role with the Flyers last season
This is important to consider when putting him in trade talks, as he is and will continue to be an important player for the team, beyond what he can provide scoring-wise.
Konecny might never be a dynamic superstar player, but when watching his tape, you can tell that he plays with poise and is more well-rounded as a scorer than he was in the recent past.
He might not do one thing at an elite level, but he has done a nice job of making himself a more useful player. Konecny has the skating ability, shot, use of hands and even physicality to earn a future contract with the Flyers.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ John Tortorella Could Be Here to Stay
If head coach John Tortorella stays with the Flyers for a while, Konecny will be a reliable player for him. Simply from a logical standpoint, coaches are more likely to want players they have actually coached rather than players they have not.
What Konecny Can Improve On
Konecny did a lot of things well last season, but his health could be a concern. Even though the time he missed was minimal, he will need to appear in almost all of the Flyers’ games in order to justifiably look at him as the best player on the team during the rebuilding process.
Another thing Konecny has struggled with in the past was his scoring consistency, and this was once again a theme this season. He went on a ten-game scoring streak during the season where he registered 20 points in that span, but followed that with just three points in his next 12 games.
Obviously, many players go on scoring droughts. It happens all the time. However, you could argue that if Konecny can improve on this, he would put himself in the conversation with some of the best pure offensive players in the sport. While it will be challenging to do given the team’s status as a rebuilder, some of the best players elevate their teammates and give themselves a boost by forming that chemistry. For Konecny, he will have much of the same roster to do that with this season.
If Konecny Evolves
Konecny’s future lies in his own hands if he takes some of the aforementioned leaps in his game. Assuming he can finish with anywhere from 80 to 90 points this season, he would solidify himself as a legitimate first-line player. With Konecny still having two years left on his $5.5 million average annual value (AAV) contract, he still has time to earn a nice pay raise.
With a potential comparable in Timo Meier for the New Jersey Devils, given they are from the same draft class and had similar offensive production, Konecny would be looking at an eight-year, $70.4 million ($8.8 million AAV) contract if he can shine once again.
Keep or Trade Konecny?
If Konecny can establish himself as a reliable first-line player over the next two seasons, the Flyers will have a very interesting decision to make. With the salary cap on the verge of increasing heavily over that time period, Philadelphia will have to either extend or trade him.
With the Flyers in a rebuild, it could make sense to get some draft capital back for his services. On the other hand, it might seem wise to give him an extension, given he will be just 28 years of age when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Whatever the team chooses will depend on how much the star player can enhance his game during the upcoming season.