The Philadelphia Flyers’ season-opening nine-game winless skid (0-6-3) raised concern among the club’s followers. During a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 11, their fans called for head coach Rick Tocchet to be fired and booed the team off the ice at the end of the game.
That skid also sparked speculation about whether Flyers general manager Daniel Briere would make a trade or two before the season got out of reach. Longtime winger Travis Konecny (currently on injured reserve) was among the players mentioned as potential trade chips.
On Oct. 13, Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco included the 29-year-old Konecny among his list of trade candidates. He cited team sources claiming there was some frustration within the organization about his performance, suggesting he might be asked to waive his no-movement clause if the club didn’t improve.
After the Flyers finally picked up their first two wins, Di Marco subsequently reported that winger Owen Tippett was drawing more interest from other clubs than Konecny, likely because of the latter’s NMC. However, he felt Konecny was the better trade candidate because of his all-around play.
Flyers beat writer Kevin Kurz of The Athletic and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman were skeptical. Kurz cited Konecny’s contract and commitment to the team, calling it “incredibly unlikely” that the Flyers would trade the player who’s led them in scoring for five of the last six seasons.
