Philadelphia Flyers 2023-24 Player Preview: Travis Konecny

Travis Konecny has played alongside of some of the greatest players in the history Philadelphia Flyers. Jakub Voracek was the guy speeding down the sides, feeding the puck to others. Brayden Schenn was a dynamic goal scorer who was just coming into his own. Wayne Simmonds was the gritty personification of what Flyers hockey was. Sean Couturier has become one of the best two-way players in the league. Claude Giroux was the simply the man; the captain of the team and unquestioned leader of the clubhouse. Now, it’s all on his shoulders. And in his first year being the go-to guy, Konecny performed amazingly.

The 2022-23 season was an interesting one for Konecny. He played in the fewest games of his NHL career (60), save for the NHL’s COVID-afflicted 2020-21 season. Despite the games played, he posted career highs in goals (30) and points (61); posting just over a point-per-game for last season. Konecny also recorded his second career hat trick this season.

While these are all great signs, for Flyers fans, we are hoping that these numbers are just the beginning. Stepping out of Giroux’s shadow and with Couturier sidelined all season with an injury, Konecny thrived. What’s more, he served, in a way, as a mentor for some of the younger future stars such as Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett, and Joel Farabee.

If TK can build on last year’s campaign, the Flyers will be all the better for it. First of all, a healthy Konecny should easily reach the 40-goal mark and could possibly top 80 points for the first time. This is the sort of thing he was drafted for when he was selected with the 24th overall pick in 2014.

And if Konecny can have another strong season, that would take a lot of pressure off of a recovered healthy Couturier as well as Cam Atkinson. Having three strong vets who could post, at a minimum, 25 goals each, would give a boost in both the stats and confidence of Frost, Tippett, Farabee, Noah Cates, and other young players. It would also help general manager Daniel Briere get a sense of where these players are going.

Konecny has two years left on his very team-friendly contract. He’s earning $5.5 million and will be just 28 when the contract is over. Will he be extended? Would he want to remain a Flyer on a rebuilding team, if the Flyers are still rebuilding? Would another team offer something to Briere that is too good to pass up despite the pain of losing a home-grown star? All of that is hard to say for now.

A lot of players have something riding on this season for various reasons. For Konecny, it’s different. He doesn’t have anything left to prove. This is his team now. Instead, it’s how he leads this team going forward. He took some big steps last year, despite missing 22 games. Where can he take this team this year? That’s what we can’t wait to see. He may not be the team’s captain, as the Flyers don’t have one, but he is the go-to guy on this team for a goal. Let’s see how many he can rack up this year.