Despite the trying times that the Philadelphia Flyers are facing, they’ve had quite a few players show up for them. Yeah, more than a few players need to bring a better game in November, but the likes of Matvei Michkov, Travis Sanheim, and Sean Couturier have all been bright spots.
Some might already say Michkov especially is worthy of being the Team MVP through the first full month of 2024-25, as 10 points, four goals, and a 17.4 shooting percentage in 13 games are stellar numbers. But Michkov has predictably made his fair share of rookie mistakes that ultimately earned himself a night off recently.
That said, Michkov wasn’t quite the first player on my mind when concocting who would be the Flyers most valuable player through Month 1 of this rough 2024-25 season. Instead, the honor goes to Travis Konecny, who’s been more than just a bright spot.
Through 14 games, Konecny’s 15 points have him on pace to finish the year with between 87 and 88, while his seven goals could land him at 40-plus. Quite remarkable numbers, considering the Flyers are 25th in the league with 37 goals scored as I write this.
Travis Konecny has been the bright spot in a hard season for the Flyers
Don’t get me wrong: I didn’t just choose Konecny because he’s been finding the net often and helping his teammates score. He also has 11 blocks and 23 hits on the year, indicating he’s also willing to put his body on the line when necessary.
He’s also averaging 20:53 of average total ice time, more than any other forward on the Flyers and second among skaters. Sure, Konecny has been on the ice for a lot of goals, evidenced by his meager 81.0 on-ice save percentage at even strength, but the Flyers as a team have struggled to keep the puck out of their own net.
Overall, he’s been more than doing his part to at least help the Flyers try to play respectable hockey. And it’s something that, should he stay healthy, we’ll keep seeing from Konecny as this season continues and, hopefully, yields better results for the Flyers.
So far in 2024-25, this team has given fans little to cheer for, but they can often count on Konecny to pitch in for a score if he’s not finding twine to end a shift. And since he’s still very young, look for him to continue that upward trajectory as they figure things out in Philadelphia.