Flyers’ Travis Konecny Makes Matvei Michkov a Better Player – The Hockey Writers Philadelphia Flyers Latest News, Analysis & More

The Philadelphia Flyers have one sole responsibility if they want to win a championship someday, and that is to make rookie Matvei Michkov’s life easier. He is their future; the engine that will help them run.

This season, Michkov has 16 points in 19 games, making him the NHL’s top-scoring rookie. That is in spite of a largely ineffective Flyers offense. Scoring has been a challenge for the Orange and Black, which is something that has even applied to when Michkov is on the ice. Thankfully, there has been one player who has helped the rookie operate at peak offensive efficiency: Travis Konecny.

Konecny-Michkov Duo Brings the Best Out of the Flyers

Though they haven’t played together a ton (85:07 of ice time at 5-on-5, which is 35.12 percent of Michkov’s usage), the Konecny and Michkov duo has been one of the Flyers’ best. The defensive play is a work in progress, but they’ve provided offensive upside that the other players on the roster simply haven’t been able to. Their numbers compared to the team averages are the following (via Natural Stat Trick):

Whether it’s shot attempts, actual shots, expected goals, or actual goals, the Flyers are doing significantly better with the one-two punch of Konecny and Michkov than without them. For the rookie in particular, having someone with the juice Konecny does by his side has been very beneficial.

Michkov has only been on the ice for seven goals at 5-on-5, and four of them have come in the ice time he has shared with Konecny. Maybe they should be playing together more often—it has maximized the potential of both players.

What makes Konecny and Michkov so potent is their ability to make plays. The Flyers have been unable to do that effectively this season, exemplified by being one of the worst teams in all major offensive statistics. But with those two on the ice, and especially together, things have clicked. Instead of being stuck in low-event games and playing far too much in the defensive zone, the Konecny-Michkov combination has allowed for the Orange and Black to be more than just a punching bag at 5-on-5.

When Michkov gets the puck, good things happen. The issue has been the Flyers’ inability to get him the puck, wasting his shifts by caving him in the defensive zone. With Konecny, those struggles have been minimized or outright vanished. There isn’t a better full-time partner here than him.

This Is How to Maximize Konecny’s Contract

I made my stance on Konecny’s $70 million extension through his age-35 season pretty clear during the summer. Like most eight-year contracts for players nearing their late 20s, it’s a payday for the player of today and not the player of the future. For a team in a rebuild, signing a contract for short-term upside didn’t make sense to me. In theory, the worst years of that contract will be when Michkov enters his prime (again, this is how most of these signings go).

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Now, however, I realize that’s a narrow assessment. The possibility of Konecny’s game hitting a wall once he gets up there in age didn’t vanish overnight, but the relevance of this has taken a hit. Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether or not his game holds up for the duration of the deal. Why? He’s the only non-Michkov offensive threat on the roster.

This season has been a disappointment for a lot of the Flyers’ forwards. Per 60 minutes, the Flyers are among the six worst teams in the league in shot attempts, shots on goal, expected goals, and high-danger chances at 5-on-5. Generating much of anything on offense has been a challenge, and it has led to a regression in scoring for a number of players who were meant to help Michkov adjust to the NHL.

Michkov has spent 58.34 percent of his total ice time with Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, and Tyson Foerster. The problem? Last season, those four combined for 83 goals and 177 points (1.01 goals and 2.16 points per team game). This season, they have just 12 goals and 29 points (0.57 goals and 1.38 points per team game). Goals and points aside, the eye test suggests their declines are just as severe. Spending a majority of his ice time with players who are actively snakebitten and returns to form being far from guaranteed, what was supposed to be a good situation for Michkov hasn’t been.

Like a guardian angel, Konecny has made it his duty to make Michkov a better hockey player. It’s been a frustrating season for the Orange and Black, especially regarding their rookie sensation. Sure, he’s the league’s top rookie scorer, but his underwhelming three points at 5-on-5 are notable. This is due to a combination of bad luck and, more importantly, being unable to mesh with his other linemates. When Konecny and Michkov have been out there together, it’s been the complete opposite.

His contract might not look like a bargain by the time it’s over. It could even be bought out (just ask Daniel Brière, the guy who handed it out). But none of that matters, as Konecny is a player who Michkov really needs right now. In the early stages of his NHL career, being confident and having clutch moments can go a long way. So far, Konecny has assisted on both of Michkov’s heroic overtime tallies. The big contract hasn’t even started yet, but the way it could pay off is evident.

Perhaps it might be time to make a Konecny and Michkov duo a staple in the lineup. The Flyers have mostly avoided that connection for long stints, but that could change based on their encouraging chemistry.