4 reasons why Travis Konecny will avoid second-half collapse

Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny has been perfect this year: he hasn’t missed a game yet. He’s had a very strong first half, with 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points. Yet if you extrapolate those numbers over the rest of the year, he might end up a hair behind the 76 points he earned in 2024-25. Right now that projection is 74. But, whether it’s recency bias or just a new season, Konecny has looked like the winger who dazzled most of the first half of 2024-25. And far less than the guy who seemed to implode in the second half of last season.

Last year, Konecny had 20 goals and 25 assists through 41 games. Game 41 was a 3-2 loss to visiting Toronto on Jan. 7, 2025. In that game the Flyer had a pair of goals in a losing effort. The notion that he was going to score just four goals the rest of the season seemed ridiculous. Yet, it happened. He registered 31 points in the latter half, far less than what many believed would be a possible 85-point to 90-point season prior to the Christmas break.

So, with the second half of the season commencing Thursday night against Toronto, is it correct to look at what Konecny did from January 2025 to April 2025 and think history will repeat? Or should the argument be that he’ll carry on with his current production pace the last three months and not see a drop like last year? We’ll argue that the glass is half-full, and for a few reasons. Of course, Konecny left prior to the third period against Toronto after scoring Philadelphia’s only goal in a 2-1 overtime loss. We hope the absence was just precautionary. Having said all that, here are reasons why he should be fine the rest of the way.

New and rather steady linemates

Last year, Konecny never found a true line combination he could call home. Looking at the numbers last season, one gets the sense it was miraculous he ended up getting to 76 points, especially considering how horrible the power play was (and still is well into this season). Here are the combinations (minimum 50 minutes) that the winger found himself on in 2024-25.

As you can see above, Konecny had seven different line combinations over last season that were over 50 minutes five-on-five. Of his linemates, five of them are no longer Flyers: Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Ryan Poehling, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Scott Laughton. And while the largest share was with Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier, having that many different combinations would certainly partially explain just why Konecny couldn’t find much of a rhythm. So let’s compare last year’s combinations with this year’s. Granted, obviously with half a season played, there’s going to be less minutes than a full 82 games. But a look at the minutes shows that Konecny has found a home with Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak.

Barring injuries throughout the lineup, or a dramatic downturn in production, it would seem that Konecny, Zegras, and Dvorak are going to be together for the foreseeable future. The line hasn’t lost any momentum, and it would seem foolish to break apart a trio that is going so well. And it would also seem apparent that the Flyers’ top line will see Konecny with his other two linemates for well over 300 minutes or more if they remain healthy. Simply put, Konecny isn’t bouncing up and down the lines like last season. And he is making the most of it!

Konecny is not the guy this season

As has been well documented, the Flyers made key acquisitions in the summer and before the draft. None more important among the skaters than Trevor Zegras. With a player in a new town, with a new team, and a new coach, Zegras has been the engine behind Philadelphia’s push this year in terms of production. And he’s been one of the go-to guys both on and off the ice for the Flyers. The addition of Zegras has seemingly taken a bit of the glare off of Konecny. That doesn’t mean Konecny is lollygagging or simply punching in the time clock. He’s doing the work and generating offense as part of the line. He’s had one three-game pointless streak so far this year, not even close enough to warrant any reasonable scrutiny from beat reporters.

Having a quality high-end talent in Zegras means Konecny is probably gripping his stick a lot less, realizing he’s a piece of the puzzle and not the main component for the Flyers scoring goals and winning games. He’s not taken a back seat. It’s just that he’s got a great new driver while he rides shotgun. As well, if you had a nickel for every time Konecny’s eight-year contract was mentioned or criticized this season in relation to his production, you would probably be still looking for that first nickel. It’s been a non-story this year, which has to be a plus for the forward.

Rick Tocchet

When Konecny was mired in his slump the last few months of 2024-25, it was at a time where Philadelphia coach John Tortorella for all intents and purposes had checked out. The post-game scrum in Toronto was one of the nails in his coffin, but it appeared that, in the games leading up to the Toronto trouncing, the coach had one foot out the door. Or was waiting for the push out. Konecny’s messy ending seemed to mirror the rather messy ending to the season.

Now, Konecny answers to Rick Tocchet and his coaching staff. And it seems that both Tocchet and Konecny are on the same page. In a post-practice presser Wednesday, Tocchet discussed how he’s seen Konecny this year. “I love the kid, I can understand why Torts loves him too, what did he call him, a wingnut?” the coach said. “For me, he does some stuff where you go, ‘What are you doing?’ And then he does some stuff where you’re like, ‘Wow!’ There’s a balance there. He’s an unreal guy in the room. This is a close team and he’s one of the reasons why, whether it’s a football pool or a dinner, he’s leading the brigade. If we’re having an unacceptable first period, he’s saying it. He’s done some stuff that he’s got to clean up and we’re going to keep challenging him on it, but he’s really been responsible I think over the years for that room being very close.

Tocchet also cited how early in the season Konecny was “throwing pucks away” and “wasn’t moving his feet” to execute a high-percentage pass. “He’s the first guy coming back to the bench, I don’t know how many times I’ve heard him say, ‘I can’t believe I just did that!’ ‘Yes, and my point is don’t do it!’ But now it’s to the point he’s not making them. I feel he’s just making better decisions. But he’s still a bit of a loose cannon sometimes, which is good.”

Having a coach eager to help iron out the mistakes while at the same time giving him somewhat carte blanche in the offensive zone is probably everything Konecny could’ve asked for. It sounds for now the two have found a common ground, which is good for both heavily-invested parties.

Olympic break

Barring a glut of injuries to players who make up Team Canada’s roster at the forthcoming Winter Olympics, it appears that Travis Konecny will be on the outside looking in when play begins in Milano/Cortina. Konecny didn’t have that three-week break last season. He spent much of the break with Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although he only got into two games and registered no points. But even when not playing, he wasn’t relaxing or taking it easy. He never stopped from October through to April. And if he looked a bit gassed down the stretch, maybe it’s because he was.

This year, Konecny can sprint from now until Feb. 5, then know he’s most likely going to be having some down time. That reprieve could be used to reset and refocus, and possibly most importantly allow him to heal any bumps or bruises prior to the second-half gauntlet with another concentrated schedule as teams race towards the playoffs. Konecny should be 100 per cent on Feb. 25 when the Flyers begin the homestretch towards the trade deadline and beyond. A healthy and well-rested Konecny for March and April should almost certainly result in the same offensive production we’ve witnessed the first 41 games. And that should bode well for both the player and the team.

All stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and ESPN.com