Flyers 2023-24 Player Grades: Travis Konecny

The 2023-24 season was a significant one for him to prove that he was in fact a first-line player. While he didn’t necessarily progress, he was rock-solid once again with 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points in 76 games. At this point in time, there should be no doubt that Konecny is a capable first-liner.

What was pretty fascinating about Konency’s season was that he had more shorthanded goals (6) than power-play goals (4). He wasn’t the best asset to a man advantage for the Flyers, but he was arguably the most important figure on one of the NHL’s best penalty kills.

Among the 198 forwards with at least 50 minutes of ice time on the penalty kill, Konecny ranked ninth in expected goals percentage (xGF%) at 22.7. There were few greater offensive threats shorthanded than him, which was a big difference between his point-per-game season in 2022-23 and what he did in 2023-24. Though he wasn’t scoring as much, his usefulness on the penalty kill reached new heights.

Playing 19:50 of average ice time each game, head coach John Tortorella put a lot of faith in Konecny, and he largely delivered. When the team needed a big goal, he was there oftentimes. In one-goal games, he was tied for 22nd in the NHL in goals with 26 and tied for 55th in points with 48. Nearly all of Konecny’s offensive production came in the biggest moments, so his coach naturally liked him.

Konecny Needs to Show More to Earn an Extension

While there’s no denying that Konecny had a good season, he might have to show even more for it to make sense for Philadelphia to give him an extension. He’ll be eligible for one on July 1, 2024, but is still under contract at a $5.5 million cap hit through 2024-25.

With the Flyers being in a rebuild, giving a career-high 68-point scorer a massive extension just doesn’t make that much sense, especially considering he will be 28 when said extension kicks in. He will most likely demand an eight-year contract like many others his age have done. Though Konecny’s contributions have been worthwhile, the possibility of regression when the Flyers are ready to truly contend is far too great, unless he takes a huge step and proves otherwise.

The issue for Konecny isn’t even exactly his offensive production, but it’s the fact that his game could age poorly. He is an energy player who relies on his scoring in transition almost solely; there’s a reason why he had more goals on the penalty kill than the power play. A player like Cam Atkinson played a similar style when he signed a seven-year deal around the same age, and that contract has aged rather poorly.

In addition, while Konecny was a great player on the penalty kill, he isn’t exactly a great defensive player. In fact, he was pretty bad defensively in 2023-24. Looking at his trajectory right now, an extension doesn’t make a lot of sense — the lack of upside and long-term risk makes this apparent.

If Konecny can have a true breakout in 2024-25, he can calm these talks. It seems pretty unlikely for it to happen, but if he has around a 90-point season and sees some scoring improvement outside of just on the rush, he can flip these discussions on their head. For him to be a Flyer, there has to be more progress; stagnation cannot occur.

Konecny’s Final Grade

Konecny was the heart and soul of the Flyers’ offense, leading the team in points for the fourth time in his last five seasons. No forward came particularly close to matching his ice time, so he deserves high praise for that. An A-minus rating seems fair.

This was a good season for Konecny, but he has the potential to be even better. He is both an extension and trade candidate entering this offseason, so what might happen to him remains a mystery. His situation will be pretty interesting to monitor until the 2024-25 campaign begins.