What the Philadelphia Flyers choose to do with their 26-year-old breakout forward Travis Konecny will be high on the 2023 offseason storylines. Do they try and sell high on a solid campaign, or do they now consider him a building block for the future despite his shady track record over the last few seasons?
Fans, both Flyers and otherwise, have taken to CapFriendly’s Armchair GM tool to craft their ideal trade scenarios featuring the London, Ontario native, so we picked some of our favorites and open the voting to you- would you trade Travis Konecny in the trades listed below?
Deadline by Caniac2000
The Carolina Hurricanes currently sit atop the metro division and are a top three team in the NHL and could be locked and loaded to make a serious run at a Stanley Cup within the next couple seasons, thus could throw their weight around at either the trade deadline or the offseason to give the team the best chance to succeed.
Ryan Suzuki is a 21-year-old center who was a 2019 first round pick. His numbers at the professional level have been slightly underwhelming, with just 19 goals and 35 points in 78 career AHL games over the last three seasons, though he’s got 11 in 18 games this season working his way back from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss the entirety of the preseason and training camp.
The Hurricanes would also throw in two first round picks in 2023 in this deal, by far the most enticing part of this potential swap.
Would you make this trade?
The Teardown by GMNB
If you’re trading a player of Konecny’s caliber to their rivals up the turnpike, they better pay a premium for it, and that’s exactly what this scenario suggests as a pretty heavy drain on some of the Devils’ top prospects.
Nolan Foote is a 22-year-old left-handed defenseman and former first round pick in 2019. He’s got just 16 games of NHL action under his belt, though has continued to produce offense with the Utica Comets in the AHL.
Dawson Mercer is a 21-year-old center and was an 18th overall pick in 2020. He’s playing in his second full NHL season with 29 points in 49 games and 71 points in 131 games overall.
Shakir Mukhamadullin is LHD and also a 21-year-old 2020 first round pick. He’s having a breakout season in the KHL with 22 points in 58 games.
Three former first round picks (all still on their entry-level deals) as well as their first rounder in 2023 as well. In terms of potential, it’d be hard to do better than this.
Would you make this trade?
Flyers Rebuild by alex_ouellet
Tanner Jeannot is a 25-year-old winger who made headlines as the leading scorer of the 2021-22 NHL rookie class. He ultimately didn’t win the Calder Trophy yet posted 24 goals and 41 points in 81 games, but he has not been able to rekindle that fire in 2022-23 with just eight points in 36 games.
Philip Tomasino is a 21-year-old 2019 first round pick that has currently spent the season in the AHL, even though he was a full-time NHLer last season. He posted 32 points in 76 NHL contests but was sent down as an “example” for a team full of lackluster scorers.
This trade to Nashville gives the Flyers two young roster players right now, but It’s probably the riskiest deal in this piece. There’s still plenty of potential left for both Nashville players, but the sands of time are quickly running out to prove they can be relied upon NHL caliber forwards.
Would you make this trade?
Moving into 23-24 by JoeyYola
Speaking of risky deals, here’s another scenario of the Flyers looking to take on rehab project with a pair of former first round picks that haven’t quite had successful NHL careers despite showing signs of promise.
Dylan Holloway was the 14th overall pick in 2020 as a standout at the University of Wisconsin. The 21-year-old is in his rookie professional season and has just five points in 36 career games.
Jesse Puljujarvi, the soon to be 25-year-old, is a former fourth overall pick back in 2016. He’s struggled to produce at the NHL level and has particularly struggled during the 2022-23 season with just nine points in 40 contests. Though his underlying numbers have always been positive which could signal there are signs of life if given the right team to fall into.
Would you make this trade?
hmmmmmmm by Rotheisler
This trade poses an interesting scenario if the Flyers were to trade away Ivan Provorov in a separate deal.
Noah Hanifin may be one of the better under-the-radar top left-handed defensemen in the league. He’s got one more year left on his deal with a $4.9 million cap hit. He hit a career best 48 points last season, albeit that number has been the outlier of his career.
The Flyers get a top LHD to replace Provorov, meaning they can focus the Provorov deal around adding a high-end forward.
Would you make this trade?
TDL- Couple Big Moves by SabresFan78
The Sabres are finally trending in the right direction and are at a point where they could look for a heavy hitter or two to push them into the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Casey Mittelstadt is a former eighth overall pick in 2017 that has had a bit of a mixed bag at the NHL. He’s having a career year for point production, already at 28 in 50 games, though is primarily serving as a depth winger these days.
Isak Rosen is the player the Sabres drafted with the first round pick (14th overall) the Flyers gave up in the Rasmus Ristolainen trade. He’s 19 years old and in his first North American season playing with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. He’s got 20 points in 35 games as mainly a second line winger.
The Flyers also get their own second round pick back as well as Buffalo’s in 2024.
For all the fans who spend an unusual amount of time still focused on the Ristolainen trade, now’s your chance to undo it to the best ability the present allows.
Would you make this trade?
Deadline day TML by Giggz77
There are dozens of trade scenarios on CapFriendly that have zeroed in on Konecny from Leafs fans as they attempt to fortify their team in order to make it past the first round of the playoffs, so we picked the one that made both financial sense and had an interesting return for the Flyers.
Alex Kerfoot is a 28-year-old utility forward who has racked up 23 points in 52 games. He’s an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, coming off a deal that paid him $3.5 million a season. He’d be part of the deal to make the money work for the remainder of the season.
Nicholas Robertson is a 21-year-old forward who has just 31 NHL games under his belt and is currently on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. He’s got one more year on his entry-level contract.
Ty Voit is a 19-year-old winger and former fifth round pick in 2021 who’s been on an absolute tear since his draft year. He’s got 71 points in 45 games with the Sarnia Sting after producing 80 points in 67 games last season. He’d be a diamond in the rough and a player the Leafs could very well part with when it comes to looking for main roster help.
The Flyers get two young forwards back as well as two draft picks in 2023 and the Leafs add a gritty forward to their playoff run.
Would you make this trade?
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: capfriendly.com / wikipedia.com / espn.com
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