Alain Vigneault and the rest of the coaching staff trust Travis Konecny, whether it be late in the games, 3-on-3 overtimes, or in shootouts as the coaching staff continues to trust him in all situations, but Vigneault said yesterday that there is another level to Travis Konecny’s game. This doesn’t mean he’s playing bad, it just means that they know he can play better.
One area of Konecny’s game that he knows he can improve upon, is providing a net front presence, “I think that’s important in any game to be honest,” Konecny said, “It’s been one of the things we’ve been discussing and something that we have gotten away from a little bit. It’s kind of one of those things that it takes a lot of hard work to establish that net front presence. Just a matter of finding that extra gear to get there. It just comes down to the will and if you want to get there and play in the dirt areas. We’ve discussed it. I think moving forward we are definitely going to try to improve on that area.”
The young rising star in Konecny does a little bit of everything. He will chip in on the power play, lay a big hit, block shots, and most of all do anything to help the team win. Featured on a high flying line at the moment with Kevin Hayes, and Scott Laughton, this line just appears to be clicking on all cylinders. Konecny, and All-Star, set new career highs in every offensive category. He has blasted 24 goals, and chipped in 37 assists (Tied him for second on the team with Sean Couturier) for a total of 61 points. Moreover, Konecny has issued out 63 hits, blocked 30 shots, and has fought at times in defense of his teammates. Simply put, Konecny does it all, as he’s learning the game the right way.
A game against the Washington Capitals is a perfect way to shake off the rust to get back to the level he knows he can play at. Konecny just has the knack of knowing where to be and when. He is lightning fast, and before a player can blink their eyes, more often than not he’s blown by them. However, one of the most underrated parts of Konecny’s game is sacrificing his body for blocking a shot. This catches the eyes of his teammates and the coaching staff alike, so it’s not crazy to see Konecny in same pain following the game.
Konecny’s heart and soul has won over the proud orange-clad fans of Philadelphia, and the new coaching staff. It’s great to see just how hard this young man works on a nightly basis, as he is one of the most unselfish players on the ice, “Oskar, if he is going to be joining us back here, what it’s going to take for him to be even close to playing or practicing or whatever that may be, the work ethic he’s going to have to put in is a lot,” Konecny said, “For him to be able to commit to that, it makes our job seem like nothing. We have to go out and play hockey. Think about Oskar and how hard he’s working just to come back and hopefully play one game. It definitely motivates us to do the work for him and make all the hard work that he’s going to try to put in worth the time.”
