The Flyers have an impact player, at a very affordable price, in TK:
Another interesting thing to note is just how strong Travis Konecny is at setting up scoring chances. That goes back to last season, when only
Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov earned more scoring chance assists per 60 according to Sznajder’s tracked data, and Konecny has picked up right where he left off this season.
That may be a surprise to some — Konecny’s 60 assists over the last two years ranks 63rd — but that’s partially a result of playing for the
Flyers. Konecny is one of the team’s few (if only) elite offensive drivers and it’s hard to create goals for teammates if they’re not gifted goal scorers. On another team with more support, Konecny’s passing ability would likely shine much more.
One reason to believe that is what he’s managed this year from a play-making perspective when paired with Philadelphia’s other best wingers:
Owen Tippett and
Matvei Michkov. Konecny has played 216 minutes with at least one of them this season and has 2.22 assists per 60 during that time at five-on-five. In the 256 minutes without, that drops to 1.17.
And for those who think it doesn't matter who you partner an elite scoring D-man with:
Hughes is obviously the engine of the blue line, but chemistry is a two-way street and Hronek does help bring out the best of Hughes. Before his injury, Hughes was dominating at five-on-five with 59 percent of expected goals, but that’s dropped to 47 percent in the 10 games that Hronek has missed. That 12 percentage point drop is obviously not all Hronek and some of it can be attributed to other contexts, especially since Hughes’ new partner is
Tyler Myers. The team as a whole is struggling and to Hughes’ credit, he’s still outscoring opponents. Still, it should create some appreciation for what Hronek is: a solid No. 2 defenseman who brings out the best in an elite partner, not just some guy next to Hughes.
16 stats: Mikko Rantanen’s next contract, Travis Konecny’s breakout, Linus Ullmark’s return
