Until Travis Konecny signs on the dotted line, expect to hear his name throughout the entire offseason. He is eligible for an extension entering the last year of his contract. And he is expected to get a substantial pay raise.
Which is why trade rumors have followed him throughout the last year or so. Many have wanted the Flyers to trade Konecny while his value is at his highest as he could bring in a substantial haul. Others believe he is the perfect player for Philadelphia to build around.
And other teams would love to get their hands on Konecny.
Hurricanes have shown interest in Konecny
It was a small nugget dropped by David Pagnotta yesterday morning. Some may not have even noticed as the article itself mentioned the Flyers having some interest in Trevor Zegras. But there it was if you scrolled toward the bottom.
""The Hurricanes have expressed interest in Philly’s Travis Konecny, and while the Flyers have shown interest in Martin Necas, it doesn’t sound like there’s a pathway to a deal right now."
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Now it isn't much and even pours a bit of cold water on a move between the Flyers and Hurricanes happening at this time. But things can change rather quickly in the NHL. With the draft approaching, expect conversations like this to pick up. Philadelphia has the draft capital to make a move if they so choose to.
Necas is looking to take on a bigger role. His recent offensive outputs show that in the right situation, he could become a 30-goal scorer in the NHL. He has posted 28 and 24 goals respectively in the last two years. Necas could add some help to the power play, posting 39 points in the last two seasons. An average man advantage gets the Flyers into the playoffs this past season.
Konecny has already crossed into the 30-goal territory the last two seasons. He only seems to be getting better with age. Konecny isn't a star on the man advantage, but neither was the team itself. He was second in both power play goals (4) and points (9). It is the first time since 2018-19 that Konecny didn't have double digit points on special teams. It's not all on him, but again, the Flyers make it if they score a few more times with that unit.
It will take more than potentially adding Konency and some draft picks. A few weeks ago it had been reported that the Flyers did call the Hurricanes about Necas. It was also reported that Carolina was looking for top prospects in the deal, something Philadelphia may not want to part with at a crucial time of their rebuild.
With Matvei Michkov's arrival coming any day now, the Flyers' timeline to compete may have gotten pushed up slightly. The organization had previously said that nothing would change with them even if Michkov was to come ahead of schedule. But how certain was Philadelphia that he would be available to them this early?
After a full season at the helm, Danny Briere will have some important decisions to make on the team's roster. And Konecny's name is at the top of the list.