VOORHEES, N.J. \u2014 Travis Konecny wouldn’t be a bad guy to ask if you ever need an update on the standings.<\/p>\n
“I look at it every day,” he said.<\/p>\n
Suffice it to say, Konecny would love to be back in the playoffs. He’s in his 10th season with the Flyers and has been there only twice. The last time he was there, it was 2020 and the playoffs were in the bubble with no fans.<\/p>\n
Even with the Flyers embracing a rebuild<\/a>, that hasn’t made the drought any easier.<\/p>\n “I think it’s disappointing every year if you miss,” Konecny said Tuesday. “I think what has gotten everyone to this point is everyone’s a competitor, everyone wants to compete in the big games. When you watch the playoffs every year, it’s incredible, you get nervous, you’re watching overtime and you want to play in those games.”<\/p>\n Amid the Olympic break, the Flyers are eight points back of the third-place Islanders with 26 games to go. They’re also eight points back of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. They entered the break with 12 losses over their last 15 games, a stretch that turned a promising first half into an uphill climb<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Konecny expressed some frustration at last season’s trade deadline<\/a>, he has been on board with management’s vision. That continued Tuesday when he was asked about the playoffs this season.<\/p>\n “It’s not going to be, like, the end of the world if it didn’t happen,” Konecny said. “I’d be frustrated, but I know that the team we’re building, what we have, the plan, we’re going to be a playoff team and I’m not worried about that. I know everyone believes in that in this locker room. We just keep on pushing, hopefully it happens, we’re going to give everything to get there. And if it doesn’t, we reevaluate and get better in the summer again.”<\/p>\n Konecny, who turns 29 next month, has been a good soldier and pro as the front office has asked for patience. He has taken his game to another level over the last four seasons, earning an eight-year, $70 million contract extension<\/a> two summers ago. The Flyers have believed in him being a guy that can drive this thing forward.<\/p>\n This season, Konecny has 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 55 games. He has put up 15 multi-point efforts and the Flyers have gone 11-3-1 in those games. He’s on pace for 79 points, which would break his career high of 76 from last season.<\/p>\n “I feel like every year, it seems like he’s a guy that has a stretch where he keeps us in it,” Noah Cates said. “Kind of when we’ve faltered, he has been huge for us lately. He needs the support around him. He’s kind of our guy obviously, he pushes us into the fight, but we need more guys following him, taking after him. He needs some support and consistency around him.”<\/p>\n