Philly’s resident pest had a quiet 2020-21 season.
No. 4: Travis Konecny
2020-21 League/Team(s): Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2020-21 Statistics: 11 G, 23 A, 34 P in 50 GP
Age: 24
Acquired In: 2015 (drafted)
Ranking in Spring 2020 25 Under 25: 4
How did Konecny’s 2020-21 hockey season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?
TK didn’t have a stellar 2020-21, continuing a downward trend that began in the COVID-19 bubble playoffs. After a huge breakout via leading the team in points, fans expected Konecny to produce like a top line player, and he failed to deliver anything outside of the odd offensive explosion. There are caveats behind why his performance wasn’t up to the lofty predictions 2019-20 warranted, but all the same he’s trending downward entering 2021-22. We saw flashes of the play-driving scoring threat that No. 11 is capable of being this past season, but he struggled to replicate the same consistency that made him such a huge part of Philadelphia’s surprising playoff season just two seasons ago.
What are we expecting from Konecny this season? What should we be looking for from him?
Konecny gave us glimpses of a return to form at points in the season, but it would be unwise to assume he’ll automatically make the jump back to being a point-per-game scorer, particularly with some of the movement that’s occurred in Philly’s forward corps. The bar should be set around 50 points and 20 goals; if he can reach that or do better, this year will have been a success. Pay careful attention to TK’s ability to use his skill to compensate for his size against big, aggressive forechecking teams. If he’s executing quick decision making and steering his way around (or through) the opposition early, that’s a sign he’s got his swagger back.
How does Konecny fit into the Flyers’ long-term plans? Where does he stand in the Flyers’ organizational depth?
Konecny is signed long-term and is an obvious candidate to become a top-line winger with Joel Farabee in the next year or two. The existing question is if he’ll be a complimentary piece driven by his linemates (like he was the first year or two he was in the NHL), or if he’s a player capable of propelling his teammates to greater heights. The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle, but in Chuck Fletcher’s mind TK pencils in as a second line winger with the ability to become RW1.
What do we think Konecny’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?
Travis Konecny will probably never be a superstar player, but he’s shown that he can have a season worthy of the moniker “star.” The 2019-2020 season he had feels about apt for his ceiling, and if he’s going to get any better it won’t be by leaps and bounds. Konecny appears to fall solidly in the tier of guys who can rotate between the second and first line, but are ultimately better served as second line staples. To approach his peak, we’ll need to see TK’s confidence in his puck skills (as well as his execution of them) swell. A huge part of his failings since the league shut down in 2019 have been the fault of indecision, and if he can quell those hesitancies and replace them with a renewed, elusive approach he can regain top-line status.
Previously in Flyers Summer 2021 Top 25 Under 25:
- Introduction
- No. T-24: Ivan Fedotov
- No. T-24: German Rubtsov
- No. 23: Jay O’Brien
- No. 22: David Kase
- No. 21: Linus Hogberg
- No. 20: Isaac Ratcliffe
- No. 19: Ronnie Attard
- No. 18: Connor Bunnaman
- No. 17: Noah Cates
- No. 16: Elliot Desnoyers
- No. 15: Emil Andrae
- No. 14: Samu Tuomaala
- No. 13: Zayde Wisdom
- No. T-11: Tanner Laczynski
- No. T-11: Samuel Ersson
- No. 10: Bobby Brink
- No. 9: Egor Zamula
- No. 8: Tyson Foerster
- No. 7: Wade Allison
- No. 6: Cam York
- No. 5: Morgan Frost
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