Philadelphia Flyers’ Travis Konecny ​​Makes Matvei Michkov a Better Player – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have only one responsibility if they want to win a championship one day, and that is to make life easier for rookie Matvei Michkov. He is their future; engine to help them work.

This season, Michkov has 16 points in 19 games, making him the NHL’s highest-scoring rookie. That’s despite a largely ineffective Flyers offense. Scoring has been a challenge for the Orange and Black, something that has worked when Michkov is on the ice. Thankfully, there was one player who helped the rookie hit his stride: Travis Konecny.

Konecny-Michkov Duo Brings The Best Of Flyers

Although they didn’t play 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 game is a work in progress, but they have provided something offensively that other players on the roster have not been able to do. Their numbers compared to team averages are as follows (via Natural Stat Trick):

Whether it’s shot attempts, actual shots, expected goals, or actual goals, the Flyers are doing much better with one hit from both Konecny ​​and Michkov than without them. For rookies in particular, having someone with the juice that Konecny ​​does by his side has been a huge advantage.

Michkov has only been dominant with seven goals at 5-on-5, and four of those have come in ice time he shared with Konecny. Maybe they should play together more often—it increases the skill of both players.

What makes Konecny ​​and Michkov so powerful is their ability to make plays. The Flyers haven’t been able to do that effectively this season, which has been shown by being one of the worst teams in every major offensive statistic. But with those two on the ice, and especially together, things clicked. Instead of sticking to low-event games and playing more in the defensive zone, the combination of Konecny-Michkov allowed the Orange and Black to be more than a punching bag at 5-on-5.

When Michkov gets the puck, good things happen. The problem has been the Flyers’ inability to get him, and wasting his shifts by putting him on defense. With Konecny, those struggles are reduced or completely eliminated. There is no better full-time partner here than him.

Here’s How to Extend a Konecny ​​Contract

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

Related: Ian Laperrière: Flyers’ Honorable Enforcer Turned Coach

Now, though, I realize that’s a bit of a test. The chances of Konecny’s game hitting a wall when he gets there in age didn’t disappear overnight, but the importance of it was affected. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether his game is up or not during the contract period. Why? He is the only non-Michkov threat on the roster.

This season has been disappointing for many of the Flyers’ forwards. At 60 minutes, the Flyers are among the six worst teams in the league in shot attempts, shots on goal, expected goals, and most dangerous opportunities at 5-on-5. Producing much of anything on offense has been a challenge, and has led to a regression in scoring for many of the players who were meant to help Michkov adjust to the NHL.

Michkov spent 58.34 percent of his 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 only 12 goals and 29 points (0.57 goals and 1.38 points per team game). Goals and points aside, eye tests suggest their decline is worse. Spending most of his ice time with snakebitten players and returning to form far from guaranteed, what should have been a good situation for Michkov was not.

As a guardian angel, Konecny ​​made it his mission to make Michkov a better hockey player. It’s been a frustrating season for the Orange and Black, especially in regards to their rookie season. Sure, he’s the league’s leading scorer, but his three-point low at 5-on-5 is notable. This is due to a combination of bad luck and, more importantly, not being able to meet other colleagues. When Konecny ​​and Michkov came out together, it was the complete opposite.

His contract may not look like a bargain when it expires. It can be bought (just ask Daniel Brière, the guy who gave it to you). But none of that matters, as Konecny ​​is the player Michkov really needs right now. In the early stages of his NHL career, confidence and having catch-up moments can go a long way. So far, Konecny ​​has assisted on both of Michkov’s overtime championship tallies. The big contract hasn’t started yet, but the way it could pay off is clear.

Perhaps it might be time to make the duo of Konecny ​​​​and Michkov a staple in the lineup. Flyers have largely avoided that connection for a long time, but that may change based on their motivational chemistry.