After his inclusion on last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off version of Team Canada, there was obvious reason to believe that Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny would be one of the front runners to play for his country once NHL players returned to the Olympic games in 2026. When Konecny got the call again to play in the World Championships later that same year and scored 13 points in just eight games, hope only grew that he would be one of the names selected to fill out what was sure to be a stacked Canadian roster.
But the NHL moves fast, and with so many options to choose from, it is hard to ever nail down a spot on such a loaded roster unless you are a truly transcendent talent.
And Konecny did not start the season that way. Throughout the Flyers first eight games of the season, Konecny only had one goal on 15 shots, and looked a little bit sluggish and ineffective when compared to his normal standard of play. The production is one thing, but the general lack of engagement was atypical of a pest like Konecny and makes it easier to see that he isn’t firing at all cylinders. Combine that with his porous advanced metrics, and there was no denying that Konecny was struggling to get going. This slow start, when combined with the emergence of a new crop of young Canadian forwards such as Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, threw Konecny’s Olympic chances into jeopardy very quickly.
Chart showing Konecny’s sG for early 2025, via HockeyViz.com
This fact wasn’t helped by other bubble names like Tom Wilson and Bo Horvat having comparatively very strong starts, leading their respective teams in points and looking like players who can fit Canada’s needs, while also bringing some different elements to their game. Horvat can play either side of the man advantage, and Wilson is a bruiser who could very well be the most physically imposing player at the tournament if he went.
Konecny needs to score in order to really cement his consideration, and he started getting back on track after the initial early season lull, embarking on an eight game point streak in late October to get his numbers to a more respectable standing.
He has ultimately picked up the pace as of recent, and while his eight goals on the year still put him in the same company as Anthony Mantha, Josh Doan, and Dylan Holloway, 25 points in 28 games is an output that puts him close to the pace that he maintained last year. His advanced stats still leave something to be desired, but he is starting to have the same level of impact that the Flyers are used to seeing out of their assistant captain. New addition Trevor Zegras has been the true catalyst of the Flyers offense through the early season, but with Tyson Foerster now injured, Konecny will have to step up in order to keep the team above water.
And as of now, he has. An empty netter and an assist against the Sharks stretched Konecny’s latest point streak to five games in a row, with three goals and eight points throughout that span. It seems like Konecny has started to turn a corner as of late, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, both for team and player. Konecny has some ground to make up in order to truly re-establish himself as a front runner for a wing spot on Team Canada, but if he is able to catch fire right before the new year and carry some of that momentum into the Olympic break, his past resume and veteran status should give him a leg up on some of the other potential names in conversation.
A player that gets into the mix like Konecny does, that is open to antagonizing and confronting his opponents, will always have value in a best-on-best environment. Controlled chaos can sometimes be the difference when the talent is equal, so if Konecny starts to get re-engaged in some extra-curriculars, there’s a decent chance that could be the difference.
But either the way, the last few roster spots are going to come down to the wire. Even a standout like Morgan Geekie could find his way onto the roster if he proves that he can keep his early season scoring tear up, but Konecny has definitely started to play his way back into the discussion after his start to the year left him on the outside looking in.
It is going to be a game of preference that ultimately decides the final roster, but Konecny is definitely back on the right path.
