Flyers Bet Twice on Travis Konecny, Hit Jackpot Both Times
If the game of hockey was a lottery, then the Philadelphia Flyers hit the jackpot twice and both times they played the exact same numbers.
What did they win you ask?
That’s simple, they won Travis Konecny. T.K., as he’s lovingly known in Flyers Nation, has been everything the Flyers had hoped for and much more. Let’s take an in-depth look at exactly how the Flyers gambled twice on Konecny:
Photo: Philadelphia Flyers
The first gamble took place in June of 2015. After selecting stud defenceman Ivan Provorov with the 7th overall pick, which was the first of two first-round selections, the Flyers waited for their second pick in the first round to roll around which was set at 29th overall. As teams proceeded to make their selections, Travis Konecny, captain of the OHL’s Oshawa 67’s started to slip.
It is believed that then-GM Ron Hextall and the Philadelphia Flyers had Konecny in the top ten of their draft board. Midway through the draft, the Flyers agonized with anticipation. Hextall could not believe Konecny still hadn’t been selected. Still he fell further. Surely Konecny would not make it till the 29th pick? Would he? There was no way he would.
When the draft hit mark number 24, a pick belonging to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers made their first gamble, and Hextall made the call. They traded the 29th overall pick and added their lone second-round pick in the same draft to the Maple Leafs in exchange for moving up 5 spots and grabbing Travis Konecny!
The Gamble: Giving up two assets in order to move up 5 spots.
After a year playing for his junior club, Travis Konecny made the Flyers team out of training camp the following season. After a rookie season in which he scored 11 goals and 28 points, T.K. scored 24 goals each of the following 2 seasons, all the while improving his point totals year after year.
During that time, Konecny quickly became a fan favorite, with his great skating and playmaking abilities, as well as with his knack for scoring clutch goals all while averaging only 14:58 of ice time and practically no powerplay time under former coach Dave Hakstol. Then, last summer, just before his fourth NHL season was set to start, Konecny found himself as an RFA (restricted free agent) as his rookie contract had expired. With that came the Flyers second gamble on Travis Konecny.
The second gamble was deciding on a contract for Konecny. Most clubs only offer “bridge contracts” after a player’s rookie deal has expired. Basically, a bridge contract is a contract of 3 or few years with low value monetarily, in which the player has that time to “prove his worth” before landing the monster deal. But T.K. had put up some really good numbers, they were the numbers a really good veteran puts up, let alone a young pup who had no powerplay time.
So, he held his ground for a long-term deal. He wanted a deal to get done. The fans wanted a deal done. For their part, the Flyers did not want T.K. going anywhere and gambled on his ability to grow as a player even more so.
Then on September 16th 2019, T.K. and the Flyers agreed to a whopping 6-year, $33 million deal, which carried an average annual salary of $5.5 million. Again, the Flyers gambled paid off. In only 66 games this season (since the deal was signed) Konency has matched his career-high in goals with 24 and has obliterated his previous career-high in points of 49 with 61 points this season.
He is just under a point per game at the tender age of 23. At the work stoppage, he led the team in points. He makes every player on the ice with him better. He’s feisty and his opponents have often said they hate playing against him. His playmaking skills are just surreal.
The Flyers gambled twice on Travis Konecny, but both times they came out of it looking like geniuses.
Then again the Philadelphia Flyers themselves will tell you that they knew all along that when it comes to Travis Konecny, it wasn’t much of a gamble at all… He’s just that good!
Featured Image: NBCSports.com/NHL
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Categorized:Flyers