Travis Konecny’s got a well-earned reputation as one of the NHL’s scrappiest forwards—he’s always willing to drop the gloves or stand up for his linemates, like when he went after Seattle’s Tye Kartye earlier this month for laying a big hit on Owen Tippett. And now that Trevor Zegras is on the Flyers roster after that summer trade from Anaheim (for Ryan Poehling and a couple picks), it’s no surprise Konecny digs seeing the flashy center dip his toe into the tough stuff.
Just on Tuesday night in the Battle of Pennsylvania against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zegras jumped into the post-overtime scrum alongside Tyson Foerster and Jamie Drysdale, even pulling off his helmet as things heated up with Pittsburgh’s Parker Wotherspoon and crew.
It was Zegras’s first real taste of the rivalry brawl, and while some fans griped online about him not fully engaging (he got pulled away by refs before it escalated too far), it shows he’s starting to embrace the grit that Philly demands. Konecny, who’s no stranger to those line-crossing moments himself, probably sees it as a sign Zegras is buying in—especially after praising TK’s own willingness to fight for the team in a recent win over Minnesota:
“He’s our best player in a 5-2 game willing to fight for somebody else.” – Travis Konecny says about Trevor Zegras
With Zegras already dishing nine points in nine games and meshing on the power play with guys like Bobby Brink and Noah Cates, adding some edge to his game could make him a perfect fit next to Konecny and Matvei Michkov. If Zegras keeps evolving into that two-way pest, the Flyers’ top-six offense is gonna be a nightmare, “”It’s great. You can see guys are hopping on board with it. It’s great Z (Zegras) hopped in like that, I’ll have to ask him if he knew the rule book to get thrown out,” Konecny said of Zegras following the Penguins game.
Rick Tocchet sounded off on the camaraderie the team has for one another following the Penguins game, “Pack mentality. You know, you eat together as a pack. If you are the lone wolf, you are done. But, the pack lives. I think it’s philosophical, but I just believe in that stuff.”
What do you think—will we see these two tag-team a scrap soon?
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