The start of the new league year in the NHL is just a week away. That means that players with an expiring contract in 2025 can ink a new deal with their team, and when it comes to the Flyers, all eyes are on 27-year-old Travis Konecny, who is entering the last year of his six-year contract signed back in 2018.
The Philadelphia Flyers have an atrocious recent track record when it comes to signing players a year early and it coming back to bite them. Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim and Joel Farabee highlight their cavalier attitude when it comes to handing out big money deals that turn into an albatross almost immediately.
Some of the early rumors surrounding Konecny have indicated he could be looking for an eight-figure salary and as the Flyers’ top forward and fan favorite and his demands may be considered by the front office. It sounds as though Briere and co. want a deal done quickly, but is it really the best play for the organization?
Whether or not the Flyers should re-sign Konecny is an argument for a different day. Today, it’s about controlling their willpower to be patient before committing to such an extreme contract.
Travis Konecny represents an interesting crossroads with the current product. He may be their top guy right now, but that shouldn’t be the case much longer with Matvei Michkov’s arrival and a new era of players showing up, and his age (he’ll be 28 when his new deal kicks in next summer) suggests he’s closer to the falling action of his career than the start.
A benefit of waiting is the fact that he’s coming off the best season of his career. His 33 goals and 68 points were personal bests. Handing him a contract based on last season’s production means that he’s going to get top dollar value when that might not be his potential price tag next summer. If his production slips, the negotiation power returns to the Flyers, and if his production stays about the same, at least they have a larger sample size before committing.
There’s really no reason to rush to get this done. If they’re just going to make it rain $100 dollar bills on the guy to the tune of $10 million a year regardless, they’ve got nothing to lose by waiting until at least the trade deadline with the potential of another career year in tow. If anything, the team will have a better understanding of the potential salary cap rising next summer and can plan accordingly. And if the team bombs and walking the tightrope between competition and a rebuild is no longer as easy to sell as it once was, they can deal him to a playoff team for a monster return and continue their rebuild properly.
At some point the organization’s willingness to hand out big contracts without a second thought will come back to bite them. The problem just further compacts with every additional long-term deal that hits the books.
It feels highly unlikely this standoff with Konecny ends in any other way than with a new, gargantuan contract that will cripple the franchise for a decade to come. But can the Flyers at least attempt to play their cards close to their chest this time? At least hold out until the trade deadline and see where the team stands? Scope out what the market value is for someone like him?
Now that Matvei Michkov is in tow, you’d hope the front office is going to show some concern about the future. They don’t need to pretend Travis Konecny is their be-all end-all anymore. It’s not suggesting Konecny isn’t a good player, but his age partnered with the ludicrous dollar value he’s seeking just does not match up with the “rebuilding” gimmick the organization is preaching. If he’s going to re-sign can they at least pretend they attempted to cover their bases? Only time will tell, but it’s a question we may get an answer to soon.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: Getty Images
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