Travis Konecny fought adversity, not injury during Flyers postseason run

What was thought to possibly be injury just turned out to be immense frustration for the Flyers young forward.

Travis Konecny was arguably the best Flyers forward during the regular season. If the season had finished out, he likely has a new career-high in goals. He already had a new point total set.

And then the postseason hit. After that kind of regular season, one would’ve expected Konecny to take another step in the playoffs. The first-time All-Star did not record a single goal. He finished with seven points in 16 games.

Usually, when a player of his caliber fails to put up a single goal, the thought of injury creeps into everyone’s minds. And there was a moment where that was a possibility. During Game Two against Montreal, Konecny blocked a shot near his left ankle and limped off the ice.

He would not return for the final eight minutes but came back to play the following game. He was no worse for wear. Konecny admitted that while it hurt for a few days, it did not affect his play. So it wasn’t injury that saw him completely frustrated.

If you ask Konecny, he has no idea what happened either. He went from 24 goals during the regular season to zero in the postseason.

“I think I was just fighting it a little bit and trying to find other ways to contribute to the team, just find ways to win games. Honestly, I wish I knew the exact answer because I would have tried to change it when we were going through the playoffs.”

The frustration was evident as the games went on without a goal. A look to the ceiling or the slamming of his stick against the board. The goalless drought was clearly getting to Konecny by the end of it all.

He wasn’t the only one who had trouble scoring. He was the only top forward to not produce a single goal, though. And for a team that wasn’t getting the contributions it needed, Konecny’s lack of offense played a big role in their exit during the second round.

There shouldn’t be much to worry about moving forward. This was a learning experience for a forward who was going through his first extended run in the playoffs. He had six games under his belt previously.

It gave him a taste of the pressures he can expect as one of the go-to players on the Flyers. It will only make him better and more well equipped moving forward. He clearly isn’t blaming anyone or anything either. He was well aware of his struggles.

That is a clear sign of growth from the young Flyers forward. He’s through the first year of a six-year contract he signed during training camp this past season. It’s a lot to live up to and he earned it in the regular season.

Now it’s time to work through the tough postseason and use that as fuel moving forward.