Is Travis Konecny the future superstar for the Flyers?
The 5’10” winger hailing from Ontario has finally found his scoring touch that he had in the 2019-2020 season. Travis Konecny is only 25 years old and has yet to hit his prime. This season, Konecny should get his 2nd All-Star bid to become a 2X All-Star. While it has been a rough start for Travis going to his 4th coach in the National Hockey League, Travis has shown flashes of being a superstar in this league.
In 7 seasons, Konecny has played 457 games since being drafted by Ron Hextall as the 24th pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. When Konecny was being scouted, this is what Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects had to say about his game.
“A talented scoring forward that can play either as a center or on the wing; plays with the bite and intensity of a guy who is willing to do anything to win a game. Possesses dynamic skating ability that allows him to accelerate rapidly with each step, incredible hockey sense, electrifying puckhandling skills, and a lightning release on his shot; when you put this skillset together with hard-nosed determination, proactiveness in all three zones, and a physical willingness to grind and persevere, you get a game-changer who can be extremely difficult to play against.”
Travis Konecny has the skillset to be a future superstar on the Flyers
Every draft profile on Konecny all says the same thing. Explosive, elite scoring ability with a lightning-quick release, willingness to never give up on a play and perseverance alongside a 200-foot game. All of these have now evolved into the NHL. The most impressive portion of his game has been the 200-foot development. This season, Tortorella put Konecny on the Penalty Kill and trusted him to play. That trust has paid off as he got his first shorthanded goal this season. 2 to be precise.
On an 82-game average, Konecny throws out 86 hits, 41 blocks, 31 takeaways but 39 giveaways. Konecny also gets 58% of his shots through onto the net. Konecny also has a 54% career Corsi percentage. Over his career as well, Konecny has a Plus Minus percentage of 10.6.
In his 457 games, Konecny has 126 goals, and 179 points for 305 points. Konecny has yet to hit the 25-goal mark, but this season, he is on pace to score 42 goals. Realistically, he might hit 30-35 goals, but nonetheless, he will most likely lead this team in goals.
Konecny is signed through 2025-2026. When Konecny’s current contract is up, he will be 28 and entering his prime. Konecny has a bright future in the NHL and Tortorella seems to be bringing out the best in him night in and night out. Konecny is definitely a candidate to wear a letter on his chest alongside Laughton and most likely Couturier when he returns.