Travis Konecny and the Philadelphia Flyers window
When do they expect to compete? This contract and offseason creates some questions.
No team in the NHL confuses me more consistently than the Philadelphia Flyers, and I am here to tell you they are indeed back on their shit this offseason. That confusion continued on Thursday with the new eight-year, $70 million contract extension for veteran forward Travis Konecny.
It is not that Konecny is a bad player or that his new contract is a problem.
It is neither of those things.
Konecny is a fine player — probably even an outstanding player — and is clearly the best current player on the roster. He is great during 5-on-5 play. He can play in every situation. He seems to fit what the Flyers want in a player. He produces at a high level. He is durable and almost always available. His contract is also fair value for what he does and what he produces, especially as the league’s salary cap starts to rise in the seasons ahead. At 27 he is also at an age where he is still somewhat in his prime and should still have a few really high level years in front of him.
In a vacuum, it is a fair contract for team and player.
The confusion comes from the fact I am not really sure where the Flyers see themselves right now and how soon they fully intend to be a serious contender.
Is it right now?
Is it still a couple of years away?
Are they still in the thick of a rebuild?
Do they anticipate taking a step backwards this season?
If it was the latter two points, Konecny — who is entering the final year of his current contract this season — would have easily been their biggest trade chip to add more long-term pieces. For a while it seemed more likely than not that he actually would get moved. But his new contract not only eliminates that possibility in the short-term, it makes him one of their core pieces moving forward and would seem to indicate they see themselves as a competitive team sooner rather than later.
But that only adds to the confusion with the offseason as a whole.
Let’s talk about it.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Adam's Sports Stuff to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.