Philadelphia Flyers: Rookie Travis Konecny To Miss 4-6 Weeks
The Philadelphia Flyers got some bad news on Tuesday, which will force other players to step up and fill the void.
19-year-old rookie winger Travis Konecny will be out 4-6 weeks due to an ankle and knee injury. The 2015 first-round pick picked up this injury at a bad time, not only for the Flyers but for the youngster’s confidence.
In 51 games this season, Konecny has seven goals, 22 points, and a minus-4 rating. He had just come off a two-game benching by coach Dave Hakstol with his confidence already rattled.
The Philadelphia Flyers have been shutout in their last two games at home, something which hasn’t happened since October 1999. They are trying to find more consistent scoring from a lot of different players, while they continue to try to push for the playoffs.
Philly currently holds the second wild-card position over the Boston Bruins by a single point, and are in the midst of a five-game homestand.
The loss of Konecny could be crucial for the Flyers, who are also lacking creativity and speed in the line-up. He has brought some needed enthusiasm to the group, despite being on a slow run of points.
He will now fall behind in learning as a rookie as well as conditioning, while more pressure will be put on him when he returns in mid-March.
I expect Matt Read to be reinserted into the line-up after his benching vs. St. Louis on Monday. General Manager Ron Hextall did not announce an immediate roster move, but we could possibly see the calling up of Jordan Weal from the A.H.L. affiliate Phantoms.
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Weal didn’t make the final roster cut but could be a nice time for the 24-year-old to shine in Konecny’s absence. He currently leads the Phantoms in points (45) by a large margin. He is a centerman, while Konecny was also a center that was forced into a winger role. Weal was acquired from Los Angeles in January 2016 as a part of the deal that sent Luke Schenn and Vinny Lecavalier the other way.
Other names that we could see as replacements are Boyd Gordon as a call-up and two-way forward Taylor Leier who is also recovering from an injury. These could be some defensive minded moves by Hasktol and Hextall, especially with a Canadian road-trip approaching next week.
The Philadelphia Flyers return to practice on Wednesday, before welcoming the New York Islanders to town a day later. We should a move completed by then, with trips to Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver coming next week. Sad to see however for the 19-year-old who was quickly becoming a fan favorite in Philly.
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