Trade destinations to watch for Flyers’ Travis Konecny

Given how weak the 2023 NHL free agent market is, the most impactful acquisition of the summer will likely come via trade, just like Matthew Tkachuk did last year.

Is there an X-factor that could make a similarly seismic impact? It could be Pierre-Luc Dubois or Connor Hellebuyck or Alex DeBrincat. But there’s a real chance Travis Konecny is the player we talk about a year from now as a player who changed his new team’s identity. He brings a unique blend of scoring touch and agitator jam in a 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame. Had his health co-operated in 2022-23, he would’ve produced a true career year. He had 24 goals and 49 points in the first half, tracking for a 48-goal, 98-point explosion. He slowed down the stretch and missed a total of 22 games thanks to upper-body injuries but still managed a career-high 31 goals.

The Flyers are in the unabashed fire-sale mode under new GM Danny Briere, having already traded No. 1 defenseman Ivan Provorov. Given the demand for a player with Konecny’s unique skill set, there’s a strong chance we see him moved before the 2023 NHL Draft next week. Which teams make the most sense as landing spots? Consider these eight potential destinations.

Calgary Flames

Why he makes sense:

An exodus of core forwards looms in Calgary, with Daily Faceoff’s own Frank Seravalli reporting this week that 2024 UFAs Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund and Tyler Toffoli likely won’t re-sign with the Flames. The same goes for blueliner Noah Hanifin. Taking over an operation that breaks in new extensions for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar this season and has Nazem Kadri signed through 2028-29, new GM Craig Conroy likely has to treat this team as a win-now operation. Konecny could replace some losses if the Flames end up trading multiple forwards.

Fly in the ointment:

Konecny is a right winger. The Flames’ big departures will mostly come up the middle with two of their top three centers wanting out. So they may be better off exploring a trade for an available pivot such as Mark Scheifele or Dubois if they’re committed to staying competitive. But can they? That’s another question worth asking for a team fresh off a playoff miss. Are the Flames better off holding onto their prospects and picks rather than chasing another veteran with two years left on his contract?

Detroit Red Wings

Why he makes sense:

I mentioned the Red Wings as an ideal fit for Alex DeBrincat earlier this week. They need another marquee forward to elevate their playoff odds after trading Tyler Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana, and Konecny would fit their needs for the same reason DeBrincat would – while already under team control for two more seasons at a highly reasonable $5.5M AAV. Based on his skill set, the scrappy Konecny is a better direct replacement for the void Detroit created by trading Bertuzzi. The Wings have the extra draft capital to burn in the form of two first-round picks and three second-round picks next week, too.

Fly in the ointment:

The Yzerplan has been a slow burn, with the Wings slowly adding promising youth, from Moritz Seider to Lucas Raymond to Simon Edvinsson to Marco Kasper. They arguably haven’t quite reached the critical mass of young talent to lock them in as a long-term threat, particularly at forward. Is it a year too soon for GM Steve Yzerman to surrender a good young prospect and/or first-round pick?

Edmonton Oilers

Why he makes sense:

The Oilers are arriving at their go-for-broke juncture, badly needing to maximize the peak prime years of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That’s why they gave up a good prospect in Reid Schaefer and a 2023 first-round pick to get defenseman Mattias Ekholm at the trade deadline, and that’s why it makes sense to aggressively pursue help for their revolving door on the right wing. Kailer Yamamoto and the traded Jesse Puljujarvi didn’t blossom into the bona fide top-six forwards they were projected to be, so Konecny would be a welcome addition to a roster that is pretty loaded everywhere else.

Fly in the ointment:

Evan Bouchard just averaged the second-most points per game by a defenseman in the playoffs this century. He’s an RFA and about to get a massive raise, whether he inks a bridge contract or not. His AAV alone should push Edmonton to or beyond the $83.5M cap. They’d need to move out significant money to fit Konecny plus extend Bouchard. And that doesn’t even factor in that Klim Kostin needs a new contract as an RFA and that the Oilers need a third-line center with Nick Bjugstad a UFA.

Ottawa Senators

Why he makes sense:

The Senators are likely to trade DeBrincat before making it to his arbitration hearing later this summer. But they aren’t in a position to seek picks and prospects in return if they can help it; this team signed Claude Giroux last summer and traded for Jakob Chychrun this winter. The Senators want to make the playoffs in 2023-24. They’ll need to replace DeBrincat’s production in the present, whether it’s by bringing in viable NHL talent in exchange for him or making a separate move using the cap space freed up by moving him. Konecny would be an intriguing fit; not only does he have a strong friendship with former Flyer teammate and longtime linemate Giroux, but Konecny played his major junior with the Ottawa 67’s. Joining a team culture that prides itself on its young players committing to long-term contracts, Konecny would theoretically be a good candidate to re-sign in Ottawa once his contract ended.

Fly in the ointment:

Timing a Konecny acquisition could be awkward. The Flyers obviously want picks and prospects. Well, Ottawa doesn’t own a 2023 pick until the fourth round. They’d have to build a package around their 2024 first-round pick, which might put them behind competing teams who can offer 2023 assets. In a perfect world, they’d know their return for DeBrincat before trading for Konecny, as they could get an asset that could be flipped. Would a three-team trade actually make sense? Mock proposal: DeBrincat to St. Louis, Konecny to Ottawa, two firsts and a prospect to Philadelphia. A fun idea, but not the easiest to execute.

New York Rangers

Why he makes sense:

I mentioned DeBrincat as a fit for the Blueshirts, and Konecny might make even more sense given his two years of cost certainty. That’s important for a team that needs new contracts for RFAs K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere. It’s no secret the right wing slot on the Rangers’ depth chart has been gutted at the moment with Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko now UFAs.

Fly in the ointment:

Miller is obviously a big part of the Rangers’ plans and will be paid accordingly this summer. If the Blueshirts decide Lafreniere is still part of the solution and hand him a bridge deal, it might not leave sufficient cap space to squeeze Konecny’s AAV in. Not impossible, but it could require some gymnastics from GM Chris Drury.

Seattle Kraken

Why he makes sense:

The Kraken can redefine their identity now if they see fit. They stormed into the playoffs and knocked off the defending champion Colorado Avalanche, albeit a banged-up version of them. The point being: Seattle’s development might be ahead of schedule, so maybe they consider surrounding No. 1 center Matty Beniers with upgraded talent. They have 10 picks to play with in the 2023 Draft, including three second-rounders.

Fly in the ointment:

Yes, the Coachella Valley Firebirds were an amazing story this season as a newborn AHL franchise, but the Kraken still only have two drafts’ worth of prospect pipeline built so far. They have to be careful about dipping into their shallow pool too soon. Maybe it’s too early for GM Ron Francis to get uber-aggressive. Not every expansion team can be the Vegas Golden Knights.

St. Louis Blues

Why he makes sense:

The Blues are pretty clearly in reload mode, and while they’re unlikely to trade away the No. 10 overall pick in next week’s draft, it would surprise no one if they put their other two first-rounders in play: picks 25 and 29. Adding a talent like Konecny could help the Blues make a sudden surge in a Central Division that is sneaky uncertain for 2023-24. Remember, the Jets are on the verge of blowing things up, the Predators are rebuilding and even the Wild are hamstrung by buyout penalties.

Fly in the ointment: 

The Blues almost certainly would have to unload cap space to make a Konecny acquisition possible at all. Would the Flyers be willing to take on Marco Scandella’s or Kasperi Kapanen’s AAVs after they did something similar in the three-team Provorov trade with Cal Petersen’s and Sean Walker’s cap hits? Also, the Blues’ prospect crop isn’t elite. They have some promising forwards, most notably Jimmy Snuggerud, but I wouldn’t say they have a surplus. Can they afford Konecny in terms of the prospect capital he might cost?

Toronto Maple Leafs

Why he makes sense:

The Leafs need some scrappy skill to play in their top six, the types of players who help them eke out playoff wins with sheer will. Konecny could become one of those types. There’s a perception that the Leafs need to improve defensively, but it was their offense that let them down in Round 2 vs. the Florida Panthers.

Fly in the ointment:

Konecny is no one-year rental. His AAV carries into 2023-24, which would be the first year of Auston Matthews’ and William Nylander’s new contracts should Toronto re-sign them. Having Konecny on board would increase the odds of Toronto losing one of them. The Leafs have also moved a lot of first-round picks and prospects in recent seasons, so they don’t have an elite group of names they could dangle, especially when Matthew Knies is probably untouchable after what he showed in the playoffs.