Travis Konecny is becoming a household name.
Some people were surprised when Konecny was named to Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but one NHL superstar is well aware of how good he is.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, along with Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid, took part in an interview with theScore’s John Matisz released on Tuesday. They answered questions on a variety of topics, including who they think the most underrated player in the NHL is.
“There is just so much great talent in the league,” Matthews said. “Travis Konecny is a really effective player on both sides of the puck and competes hard.”
That’s some high praise from one of the faces of the league.
Despite Matthews’ apparent respect for Konecny, he didn’t oblige the pest to drop the gloves after exchanging a few friendly slashes back in November of 2022.
Mark Giordano didn't like that 🥊 pic.twitter.com/FJ5X2XhezE
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 3, 2022
That was Konecny’s first year under head coach John Tortorella and he’s grown a ton since then, both on the ice and physically.
In fact, since the start of the 2022-23 season, Konecny has the 52nd-most points in the NHL. He has more than Martin Necas, who McDavid named as his most underrated player, as well as names like Alex Ovechkin, Filip Forsberg, Claude Giroux, and Brad Marchand.
Matthews and the Leafs got the best of Konecny and the Flyers in Sunday night’s matchup but the two face off again on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. They’ll also see each other next month for an intense 4 Nations Face-Off with Matthews representing Team USA and Konecny on Team Canada.
The Flyers winger signed a long-term extension to stay in Philadelphia through the 2033 season, and he’s already earning his $8.75 million salary that kicks in next year. Konecny is on pace for career highs in all three offensive statistical categories with 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 40 games. His 0.98 points per game rank 34th in the league since the start of 2022.
