From a Super Season to a Playoff Plunge, Flyers Need Scoring, and Consistency from Konecny
By all accounts, Travis Konecny had his best season as a player in the NHL. He led the Flyers in goals and points and was tied for second in assists. This was a step up in production that the team had hoped for. He had become one of the lead dogs in a cohort of wingers, maybe even surpassing Jake Voracek as the most vital offensive cog on the powerplay, racking up 18 powerplay assists, leading the team.
All of these trends represented great strides for Konecny and pointed towards him becoming a perennial 30 goal scorer. In the Flyers’ last 10 regular-season games he scored five goals, collected fifteen points, and appeared to hit a hot streak that made 30 goals a near certainty. But then the world discovered the pleasure and pain of Wuhan bat soup and hit the reset button on TK, the NHL, and the rest of the world.
As good as the regular season was, there were some warning signs, things that could be a danger area for the team and Konecny. As good as he was in the last 10 games there were also dead spots in the season. He suffered through goal droughts of 9, 7, and 5 games. The Flyers’ team scoring depth often allowed the team to prevail even when Konecny did not put the puck in the net. But there is cause for concern, it is tough to build around or feature an offensive player that can disappear for over 10 percent of the season. Konecny needs to score more consistently
To be fair to Konecny, he still picked up points even when he was not beating the goalies and was finding other ways to contribute to Flyers wins. The issue at heart is what the team is to expect from Konecny. Is he the heart of the team’s offense, the guy that will be relied on to score? Or is he a very nice supplemental piece who can help carry some of the offensive load?
Even as someone who has been bearish on Konecny, I thought I saw him evolving, surpassing my expectations of what he could do. He was finding open spaces on the ice for great shots, he was making high skill plays at high speed. He looked like he could be a 40-goal scorer. But then the season ended abruptly and the restart months later had us all in a vastly different world.
If consistency was the issue for TK in the regular season, the long-delayed playoffs were a completely different story. Konecny was incredibly consistent, perfect in fact, not scoring a single goal in the playoffs. None, in sixteen games. He would end the playoffs with seven points.
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers (Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports) /
Again, to be fair, Konecny played into a strong headwind. To start, coming out of hockey hibernation directly into the playoffs had to a mental challenge, like having Christmas in July, it had to feel wrong. The Flyers’ powerplay was awful, to the point that it likely cost them the series against the Islanders. As exciting and competitive as that series was Alain Vigneault’s coaching moves probably did more harm than good. Beginning with horrific, momentum-killing goal challenges and oft times leaving Konecny as a refugee, being shuttled between linemates and spare parts. It was probably a coaching mistake not to give more attention to get him going. Conversely, the bell cows on offense should be able to get it going with anyone, and Konecny was part of the Flyers’ putrid powerplay.
Konecny’s play over the last season and playoffs gives us evidence that supports both conclusions. At times he is capable of carrying the team’s offense, of being the guy. At other times he can’t be counted on to keep his funks short and seems prone to extended droughts.
In the final analysis, Konecny is not an offensive centerpiece, at least not yet. The playoffs were so strange with the covid bubble, with the roster juggling, with the coaching, that I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. With his play during the regular season, he has earned that much. I expect to see the trademark effort and fire this season, and for him to continue to improve on cashing in on his chances. I know Konecny is ready to try to take the next step, I hope the coaching staff will give him every chance to do it.
