The 2024 offseason should be a busy one for the Flyers, and high on the priority list is going to be re-signing their top forward Travis Konecny. Even though Konecny is still under contract for the 2024-25 season, there has been rumors that an extension is coming, likely at some point during the 2024 offseason when they’re allowed to do it. But is it really a good idea to ink their 27-year-old to a long-term contract?
Pros
He’s at his best
We’re eight years into Travis Konecny’s NHL career, but he’s finally displaying the kind of talent the Flyers expected from him when they drafted him in the first round back in 2015. He’s on pace to easily smash his career highs in goals and points, the second consecutive season he’ll set personal bests. While his ceiling may still be limited due to the lack of firepower he’s lined up with, he’s no doubt playing the best hockey of his career.
A fan favorite
If there’s one thing the new front office regime has done, it’s pander. And trading away a fan favorite, even if it’s the best call for a brighter future, is the exact opposite vibe they’ve been aiming for. It’s probably the most unpopular thing they can do right now. Now, should a smart franchise hinder their future on a popularity contest? No. Should the Flyers be considered a “smart” franchise right now? Probably not.
Cons
His trade value has never been higher
The Flyers are supposed to be in a rebuild. While their intentions of this “rebuild” are still questionable at best, theoretically, it means they need to be more concerned about building a better future than the main roster today. And trading their most valuable assets while the individual value is at it’s peak should be a no-brainer.
His age
Konecny will be 28 when his current contract expires in 2025. It’s a tricky age in the modern day NHL. He’s probably got a few good years left in him, but especially with the style that he plays, his career may tail off shortly after he reaches his 30th birthday. Is the franchise locking yet another player up well into his 30s knowing damn well he won’t be worth the back half of the ludicrous extension he signs worth it just to squeeze the last three or four good years out of him at a time when the Flyers aren’t competitive?
Conclusion
It seems pretty much etched in stone that the Flyers re-sign Konecny. The biggest question is simple- will the Flyers actually build around Konecny in the immediate future, or are they just re-signing him to keep the masses happy but don’t actually intend on doing what it takes to win a Cup in the next, say, five years?
Is it better to keep Konecny and knowingly never actually (or struggle mightily to) assemble a truly competitive team around him just to say they have him? Or is it better to bite the bullet and sell while his value is high and garner some decent future assets now, even if it’s the unpopular move?
If Konecny signs an eight-year extension, it’ll carry him until he’s 36 years old. A recent trend of questionable decisions the Flyers have been making in their interest of preserving a mediocre present with nasty consequences in a few year’s time. Sean Couturier will be 38 in 2030. Travis Sanheim will be 35 in 2031. Even Owen Tippett’s extension will carry him past his 33rd birthday.
It also boils down to what exactly his new cap hit would be. It’ll probably be a decent raise from his current $5.5 million cap hit, but he’s not exactly putting a case out there that he should be one of the highest paid players in the league. If Briere can keep the AAV in the $7 million range, a nice increase but nothing crazy, it may be a manageable number for the most of the duration of his deal. If they go overboard and hand him $9 million a season or a number in that neighborhood, it’s primed to blow back in their faces sooner rather than later.
Travis Konecny represents one of the last pit stops for the Flyers organization on their “rebuilding” path. The last veteran they can sell for a net positive to garner assets, or the last big internal contract handed out in questionable fashion for the foreseeable future. If… or more likely when… Konecny receives his extension, everyone just as to hope the cap hit isn’t super egregious and if they’re lucky it’s not a max term deal either. But that feels like wishful thinking. He’s probably going to make a lot of money for a very long time, right or not. Everybody’s favorite player is about to stay on the books long enough to become the villain.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: NHL.com
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