As Flyers turn a corner, Travis Konecny is carrying the torch

In his 10th season as a Philadelphia Flyer, Travis Konecny just wants to experience playoff hockey again . He’s been on the outside looking in for half a decade now, and even then, there weren’t fans in the building.

For the emotional leader of this team, this run means everything. In one of the quotes of the season, Konecny says, \"I\'ve been through this so many times. I just want to make the playoffs\". While players like Trevor Zegras and Porter Martone are grabbing the headlines, Konecny is a major reason the team is even in this position. At 29 years old, he should be extra motivated, and he\'s close to experiencing Philadelphia\'s home-crowd playoff hockey for the first time since 2018.

Konecny\'s overall offensive impact is still there

Travis Konecny is the Flyers’ leading scorer by one point (66) over Trevor Zegras in four fewer games. It’s his seventh season posting 24 or more goals, and his fourth straight (and fifth overall) year of 60 or more points. Only the first of those five years amounted to a playoff run, and it’s one he may not remember fondly; his 16 post-season games that year (including the seeding games) resulted in just seven assists and a second-round exit.

It’s hard to believe they never made it back, but then again, it’s been a bit of a mess ever since. Just last year, Konecny was 31 points clear of any Flyer not named Matvei Michkov, a 20-year-old rookie. In a full, 82-game season, the Flyers have not had anyone else lead the team in scoring since Claude Giroux in 2018-19. Now, Trevor Zegras is right on the heels of Konecny scoring-wise. For the first time, it looks like there’s a serious young nucleus coming up to support Konecny— something the Flyers failed spectacularly to do around Giroux for many years— and it’s paying immediate dividends. This statistic from almost exactly two years ago tells the story:

Sticking with direct impact...

Travis Konecny leads the way with a point on 82% of the goals he's on the ice for in all sits. He's trailed by McDavid (81%), Laine (80%), J. Hughes (80%), & Fiala (78%)

Defense: Karlsson (66%), Girard (62), Makar (58), Josi (58), Morrissey (57).

— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) April 5, 2023

Focusing on this season, Konecny doesn’t seem like he’s driving the bus. Perhaps it isn’t a bus anymore, but a motorcade of smaller cars, none of whom can win a faceoff reliably, but effective nonetheless. Regardless, he’s still anchoring the top-line, and in just about any other scenario, he\'s the first off the bench. In all situations per MoneyPuck, Konecny is at a 54 percent expected goals share. Among forwards with over 1,000 minutes, that\'s good for fifth on the team. He\'s second in goals, second in primary assists, and second in secondary assists. He has the highest shooting percentage on the team, tied with Carl Grundstrom at 16.7; credit to Grundstrom, but he\'s 110 shots on goal behind Konecny. In the past, when Konecny has had scoring droughts, the team has gone under. Now, it\'s players like Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov helping to lead the scoring charge down the stretch.

He\'s had his moments, as well. Konecny scored both Flyer goals in a 2-1 win on the road in Vegas, in the midst of their worst stretch of the season. He scored the only goal in an overtime loss to Toronto. His most impressive effort was in vain, scoring a hat-trick in a regulation loss to Columbus just over a week later-- the team the Flyers are now directly competing with for the final Metropolitan Division playoff spot. His two third period goals had tied the game with under five minutes to play before the Flyers conceded a heart-breaker. Konecny also scored the team\'s only regulation goal in a big win against Dallas just a couple of weeks ago. In the 29 games through December and January , Konecny shot 23 percent and scored 17 goals. Every point matters, and he\'s responsible for a few big ones in the dead of winter.

Konecny has quickly become the Flyers\' old veteran

It seems like it wasn\'t that long ago that we watched 19-year-old Travis Konecny make his Flyers debut. He\'s come a long way since being benched by Dave Hakstol. Now, over 700 games later, he\'s the one bringing along a first-round rookie teenager. Porter Martone has played most of his minutes with Konecny, and it\'s the veteran\'s dirty work that got Martone on the scoresheet for the first time.

First NHL point of many for Porter Martone. #DETvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/DZtZ6aStfk

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 3, 2026

This line of Martone, Christian Dvorak, and Konecny is a do-it-all, play-driving machine. Konecny has given up his position on the right wing to allow Martone a seamless transition to the NHL, and it\'s paid off for the rookie. Martone has three points in the last two games, whereas Konecny has been blanked in three straight. Long-term, the switch to left wing might take some of Konecny\'s scoring touch away, as he strongly prefers to shoot from the right side, but he\'s made a captain-worthy sacrifice to give the sixth-overall pick his natural position and for the betterment of the team. Funnily enough, he also was the goal scorer on Alex Bump\'s first NHL assist.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVIS KONECNY!!! WHAT A FEED FROM SANHEIM. ALEX BUMP GETS HIS FIRST CAREER ASSIST AND 2ND POINT IN 3 GAMES. 1-1! #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/na3vi0WxhF

— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 12, 2026

Konecny is actually one of just three members of the Flyers who remain with the club since the last time they made the playoffs back in 2020. It\'s him, Travis Sanheim, and Sean Couturier as the elder statesmen on the roster, and only Couturier has tasted any real success. The experience of making the postseason will be almost as new to Konecny as it is to the young players. He\'s long felt like the type of player to thrive in a playoff environment, especially one like Philadelphia-- it\'s seeming like he\'ll get a shot at redemption from his underwhelming 2020.

Talking Points