It is a truth universally acknowledged that a hockey player in search of a fat check steps their game up in a contract year. With a contract on the line, players just have that extra edge to their play. They give a little more, score a little (or a lot) higher. The fans love it, the coach loves it, and the GM sighs as they open the checkbook and get ready to sign away a chunk of their cap.
Trust Travis Konecny to do it his own way and come out this season ready to prove that every cent of the $70 million the front office already agreed to pay him is worth it. And all before he’s even cashed a single check of that deal.
Following his three assists on Thursday night against the Islanders, Konecny reached 53 points and slid his way into tenth place in the league in points this season. He did so quietly, and with little fanfare outside of Philadelphia. Now, he might be a little off the Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, in first place with 72 points. But sitting just one point behind Jack Eichel in ninth and two behind Jack Hughes in eighth is no mean feat. Konecny deserves some noise over this, and over his insane season so far.
We’re torn on if this should really be a surprise or not. In the context of his performance this season, it shouldn’t be. Konecny has been a monster this season. He’s currently at a 1.15 point per game pace and is on track for 94 points this season. If that happens, he’ll be the first Flyer to exceed 92 points since Claude Giroux, who hit 93 points in 2011-12 and 102 points in 2017-18.
In terms of goals, Konecny’s not looking shabby there either. He’s got 20 goals, and is on track for 36 this season, but his real strength lies in the way he sets up his teammates with assists. There’s been a number of incredibly patient set ups and passes he’s made this season that have almost been more impressive than the goals they led to.
The 27-year-old winger has also had no shortage of big nights this season; he’s had 13 multi-point games, with three of them being at least four point nights. Show-off. It’s worth noting that he’s also been doing this on a team where the best center has been Noah Cates, who Konecny doesn’t even play with. He’s reached 53 points playing on a line centered either by 32 year old Sean Couturier, who has just 22 points this season, or occasionally Morgan Frost, who has just 24.
Compare that to two other right wingers who are ahead of Konecny in points: Mitch Marner and Nikita Kucherov. Marner is tied for fifth place with 62 points. You know who he has as his centre? Auston Matthews. Yes, he only has 34 points this season and has been out injured, but it’s still Auston Matthews. As for Kucherov, in third place with 65 points, his usual centre is Brayden Point, who’s sitting on a comfortable 48 points so far this season.
Controversial take here, but racking up the 10th most points in the league while playing with some of the most mid linemates in the league makes Konecny’s achievement all the more impressive. Perhaps more impressive than any one else on that list, in our totally unbiased opinion, because they generally tend to be playing on elite top lines with some of the best centers in the league.
Look at it this way: every single other player on that list plays for a strong cup contender of a team. The teams represented on that list include cup favourites like the Oilers, the Avalanche, and the Devils. There are players from strong contenders, like the Leafs, the Lightning, and the Jets. And then there’s little ol’ Travis Konecny, intent on dragging the Flyers out of the mud of the Mid-tropolitan and into a wild card spot, just for the hell of it. Just because he can.
So clearly, we shouldn’t be surprised he’s made it into the top ten after his performance this season. But based on what we’ve seen from him in the past? Yeah, we’ll own it; we’re a little surprised! The Flyers did desperately need someone to step up their offensive production this season– we just didn’t think that someone was going to be the best player on the team already.
Konecny’s highest points total prior to this year was last season, 2023-24, where he reached 68 points in 76 games. That was also his best goal scoring season, with 33 goals. Interestingly, it wasn’t his best season by points per game– that honor goes to the 2022-23 season, where he had 61 points and 31 goals in 60 games and was on a 1.01 point per game pace. If he had played all 82 games that season, it’s possible he could have reached 83 points. Yet even that’s still 11 points less than he’s on pace for this season.
Look, we all knew Konecny was a great player. He’s been the Flyers’ best player since Giroux left, and it’s really not close, particularly this season– he has a 21 point edge over the next closest in points (Michkov with 32). He’s one of the most valuable players on the team, both on and off the ice. He’s full of scrap and heart and fire, an emotional and dynamic player who can be pure chaos on the ice. He loves his teammates, he loves the game, and he loves this city and this team. He’s a true Flyer, perhaps the Flyer.
But Thursday’s game also proved what we’ve seen all season; that the scrappy little short king has matured. He’s become disciplined enough to channel his emotion and anger into dominating on the ice, rather than losing it and making stupid costly mistakes and plays. Perhaps that’s a part of the puzzle of his step forward this year, and what we’re seeing right now is just what a fully evolved Travis Konecny looks like.
If that’s the case, we’ve entered the window of his peak years. At age 27, there’s no telling how long that window will last, but we’ve hopefully got another solid few years of elite Konecny. All the organisation can do now is try and get the last pieces ready to make the Flyers into a cup contending team. All fans can do is hope we get to see as many playoff rounds with this Travis Konecny at the helm as we can. Something tells us it will be truly beautiful and terrible to behold.