Flyers’ Star Travis Konecny Signs $70 Million Deal: Pros and Cons

The Philadelphia Flyers locked up star right winger Travis Konecny on Thursday, signing him to an eight-year, $70-million 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, has one year remaining on a six-year deal he signed in 2019, one that has an annual cap hit of $5.5 million. His new deal has a no-movement clause for the first six years, and a limited-trade clause in the final two years.

The two-time All-Star collected 68 points, including a career-high 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.”

In a Zoom call with the media after the signing, Konecny said he “just wanted to get this (deal) over. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a Flyer for life. In what we’ve been working toward — and what I believe this team can be — this is where I wanted to be. It was pretty easy for me to make the decision that I was going to stay here as long as possible.”

Konecny said he and his family “enjoy where we’re at” and “how we are treated” in Philadelphia, and that made him not want to test free agency next year. He said his goal is to one day win the Stanley Cup, “and it wouldn’t feel like an accomplishment unless it was with the Flyers and the team that believed in me. And I just wanted to show the same respect. I believe in the Flyers as well. I’m in for the long haul and really excited for the next chapter here and see what we can do.”

Here are some quick pros and cons of the deal:

Pros

• The Philadelphia 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 give 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.
• Konecny’s commitment to the Flyers is admirable, even though they haven’t made the playoffs in four years. Some players in his position would have played out their contract and signed with a strong contender when becoming a free agent next summer.

Cons

• Konecny has been somewhat injury-prone during his career. He has played 50 and 60 games in two of the last four seasons. He hasn’t played 80 games since 2018-19. That makes the long deal more iffy.
• Because of his tenacious style, will Konecny slow 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.
• The Flyers are several years from being a Cup contender, making it fair to wonder if they would have been better served getting lots of draft picks and prospects for Konecny in a trade.