Konecny Signs Fat Deal with Flyers: Pros and Cons

The Philadelphia Flyers locked up star right winger Travis Konecny on Thursday, signing him to an eight-year extension that carries an annual cap hit of $8.75 million.

GM Danny Briere called the fiery Konecny “an integral part of the fabric of our team, and we are thrilled to have him under contract for the long term.”

Konecny, 27, collected 68 points, including 33 goals, in 76 games last season. He led the NHL with six shorthanded goals.

“I couldn’t be happier to sign again with the Flyers,” said Konecny “There’s such a bright and exciting future with this team and I can’t wait to be a part of it for the next nine years and see what we will accomplish.”

Here are some quick pros and cons before Konecny talks with the media:

Pros

The Flyers are getting a team leader who never stops working. His relentless style rubs off on others.

Consistency is one of Konecny’s trademarks. He scored 24 goals per season for three straight years early in his career, and had 31 and 33 goals over each of his last two seasons.

His agitating style helps gives the Flyers an identity that will last well into the 2030s.In addition, he is a great leader and someone that youngsters like Matvei Michkov can emulate.

Cons

Konecny has been somewhat injury-prone during his career. He has played 66, 50 and 60 games in three of the last five seasons. He hasn’t played 80 games since 2018-19. That makes the long deal more iffy.

It’s fair to wonder if the wear and tear, because of the way he plays, will slow him down significantly in his early to mid 30s.

In the final year of his contract, he will be 36. That makes the eight-year term seem a bit too long.

(Check back for more later today.)