Travis Konecny has spent years carrying a load that kept getting heavier.
When Claude Giroux left in 2022, the Flyers lost one of the most productive players ever to wear orange and black, and Konecny was suddenly expected to pick up a bigger slice of the offense. He was only 25 then, but the job description changed fast. Sean Couturier remained the locker room leader, yet Konecny was the one asked to become the team’s main scoring threat.
He’s handled that responsibility through injuries, coaching changes, and plenty of turnover around him. Over the years, Konecny has led the Flyers in goals twice, in assists three times, and in points in six of the last seven seasons.
Even that wasn’t enough to quiet the expectations. After back-to-back 30-goal seasons, fans wanted 40.
Once he climbed toward 70 points - a mark he finally reached in 2024-25 - the conversation shifted to 80.
The problem was never just Konecny. The roster around him kept changing, and not always by choice.
Players were hurt, players were moved, and the group never stayed still long enough for the offense to settle in. Morgan Frost?
Joel Farabee? Both had their moments in Philadelphia when healthy before eventually being traded to Calgary.
For a long stretch, Konecny looked like the natural successor to Giroux’s role. In a lot of ways, he was.
He remains the only Flyers player to score 30 goals since Wayne Simmonds, aside from Giroux’s one 30-goal season. To find more of that kind of production, you have to go back to Scott Hartnell, Daniel Briere, and Jeff Carter.
That’s a long way back, and it explains why so much has been asked of him. Konecny has carried himself like a player who knows what’s expected. He may not say it outright, but it’s fair to think he put plenty of pressure on himself to be the guy, to absorb the team’s ups and downs, and to lead the way the way Giroux and Simmonds once did.
Now, though, he doesn’t have to shoulder everything alone.
The Flyers are beginning to surround him with younger players who can lighten the burden. Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, and Tyson Foerster give the team more punch and more options.
Depending on how the lines shake out, Philadelphia could have three scoring lines. That matters for Konecny, because it means he can spend less time trying to force the offense and more time playing his game.
If that happens, the ceiling looks higher. An 80-point season and 40 goals are not out of the question, depending on who he skates with. Even if the goals don’t spike, his assist numbers could rise simply because the support around him is better.
For the first time in a while, Konecny may be in position to do more by doing less.
In Other News...
Flyers May Have One Defensive Pair Set But Another Question Looms
Nick Seeler looks like a steady part of the Flyers blue line again as the 2025-26 season approaches, with the veteran expected to anchor the teams third pair after carving out a dependable role since returning to Philadelphia in 2021-22. The Flyers have spent training camp and preseason scrimmages mixing and matching on defense, trying to sort out which combinations best fit a group that is still taking shape.
David Jiricek is part of that puzzle, too, after making his Flyers debut in April and now working to establish himself as an NHL defenseman. For Philadelphia, the broader issue is less about whether Seeler belongs in the lineup and more about which partner gives the Flyers the most stability behind their top pairings as they head toward opening night. [Read more 🡒]