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Philadelphia Flyers F Travis Konecny Seizing Opportunity

By Suraj Sukumar

Oct 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Travis Konecny (11) celebrates his first NHL goal with right wing Matt Read (24) and defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Sabres 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Travis Konecny (11) celebrates his first NHL goal with right wing Matt Read (24) and defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Sabres 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia Flyers F Travis Konecny made the NHL team right out of training camp and could be a dark horse candidate for the Calder Trophy

Philadelphia Flyers F Travis Konecny is filling some big shoes early in his NHL career. At just 19 years old, Konecny has locked down the second line LW spot alongside Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek.

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Konecny played his junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League, playing for the Ottawa 67’s and Sarnia Sting before making the jump to the NHL. He was the captain for the 67’s for two seasons before getting traded to Sarnia for a championship run. In 183 OHL games, Konecny scored 85 goals with 154 assists and maintained a plus-17 rating in four seasons. He also represented Canada in the World Junior Championships this year, scoring a goal and an assist in five games.

The Flyers drafted Konecny 24th overall in 2015 and he has done enough to make the team as a teen. With the rise of youthful talent in the NHL, it is no surprise that Konecny has found immediate success. However, looking at all the big names around the NHL, nobody was talking about Konecny before the season started.

Konecny has a goal and five assists in seven games. He is currently getting power play time, but will need to continue his offensive prowess to maintain that spot on such an high-octane team. Players like Nick Cousins and Matt Read are on the outside looking in, and could garner some time on the man advantage with solid offensive production.

Konecny has underrated offensive abilities, but it is his hockey sense and skating ability that make him such a threat at both ends of the ice. The Flyers pride themselves on the two-way forward, and a center like Couturier could be a great mentor for Konecny. He has mastered the defensive side of the game and has untapped offensive potential. With Konecny’s offensive awareness and Couturier’s all-around skill, this could be a duo the Flyers rely on for years to come.

With just seven games played, the Flyers could still make the surprise move and send the young forward back to the AHL for conditioning. Chances are that is not going to happen. He has proven himself in the early going and his consistency is something to admire.

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The Flyers have had trouble balancing their lines over the past few seasons, but there seems to be some solidarity growing in the top six. Couturier has been pounding on the door of the second line center spot, and he now has the wingers in Konecny and Voracek, or Simmonds, to do some real damage.

Barring an injury, look for Konecny and Couturier to make some noise for the rest of the NHL season as the Flyers next big duo.

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