One of the biggest stories for this upcoming offseason is going to be what to do with Travis Konecny. He is entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible for an extension. Will the Flyers hold onto him? Will they move him during the offseason or wait and trade him at the 2025 deadline? Does he want to stay or does he want out of Philly?
For now, we will lay aside those other questions. We won't have any clear answers for these. We can look at what it will cost Daniel Briere and the Flyers to hold onto their star winger.
Kevin Kurz, a writer for The Athletic, has a figure in mind. He suggests that Timo Meier's eight-year, $70 million deal is probably in the ballpark of what to expect.
There's an obvious comparable for a Travis Konecny extension -- the 8-year, $70.4 million deal that Timo Meier got with Devils. Similar ages, nearly identical PPG. Also can't ignore how much Flyers view Konecny as part of their leadership group.
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) May 27, 2024
Let's dive into this. Meier is 27 and will turn 28 in October. Konecny just turned 27. Meier scored 28 goals and had 54 points last year for a struggling Devils team. Konency scored 33 goals and had 69 total points. Meier has topped the 30-goal maker three times and 40 goals once. Konecny has reached the 30-goal mark during the last two seasons. Both have played eight years, with Meier ahead in goals (191-174) but Konecny has more points (400-382) Long story short, they are comparable.
So, let's say that Briere can sign him to a deal. Konecny, like most players, might want a long-term deal for security. The Flyers may not want to be tied down long-term as they have been burned with some of those. Maybe a five-year deal? However, let's settle on a deal that is 8 to 8.5M. The Flyers already have $46.675 million committed to players on the roster for the 2025-26 season. That also doesn't factor in Kevin Hayes's $3.57 salary or Ryan Ellis's $6.25 LTIR money. Plus, will the Flyers buy out anyone between now and then, sign a free agent, or trade someone with a hefty salary away? Regardless, that doesn't seem to be a huge amount for the Flyers to commit to. It's pretty reasonable, to be honest with you.
Since we don't know the future, let's keep this simple. Currently, Konecny is making 5.5M. That's a nice salary for what the Flyers have gotten. When he's played, he's been a force. When he's missed time due to injuries, the team has missed him. He is a presence in the locker room and a leader on the team. Wouldn't that be worth the money? That would pay him what Leon Draisaitl is making now. That's also what Bo Horvat and Mark Scheifiele are making. Jack Hughes is around that number as well. That's around what he's worth.
We've established that Konecny could expect between those numbers on the open market. Maybe he'll give a hometown discount. However, in 2025, he'd face competition from Draisaitl, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and others. Depending on what happens, his price could fluctuate based on the market. Either way, the Flyers and Konecny should start to sit down and talk to see what the future looks like.