Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen have all been in Philadelphia for quite some time. Konecny is even a two-time All-Star. But the improvement in the play of all three of them has been the highlight of the season so far for the Flyers, of course along with the arrival of Matvei Michkov.
That has not gone unnoticed, as demonstrated Wednesday when the Travii were named to Team Canada’s Four Nations roster, while Ristolainen was selected to Team Finland. The latter’s inclusion was expected; the two former, not so much. Konecny was mentioned by a couple pundits this summer as perhaps knocking on the door for a spot; Sanheim doesn’t seem to have been on anyone’s radar. But they have played their way there.
If anyone wanted validation of what they were seeing from these three this season, this is probably it. It’s also evidenced in how the Flyers are playing this year compared to last. They are 12-10-3 for 27 points through 25 games; a year ago at this point, they were 13-10-2 for 28 points. Last year’s run to 25 games had fans smiling, as it represented a seven-point improvement from the year before. But deep down, it felt unsustainable. The Flyers seemed to be surviving off their penalty kill and their transition offense. They had nearly as many shorthanded goals (6) as they did power play goals (8).
This year, it’s different. Not only does the current play seem sustainable, but it seems like it is trending upward. Philadelphia got to this point despite going 5-8-2 in the first 15 games. And a massive amount of that sentiment is thanks to the players that are headed to this tournament.
Sanheim is perhaps the biggest component. “Surprise” probably isn’t the right word, but the level to which Sanheim’s taken his game is certainly nothing short of remarkable. He was almost traded in the summer of 2023, and last year’s Barry Ashbee Trophy-winning season was plenty good enough to make Flyers fans glad that trade never happened. This season has powered beyond that. He’s fourth in the NHL in average minutes at 25:30, ranks among the top 10 in the league in even strength points among defensemen at 14, and has been a factor in all three zones at all strengths for the Flyers this season.
It's probably fair to say that Konecny has done what the Flyers had hoped he’d do this season, which was to build upon his All-Star season of a year ago. It might be considered remarkable that he’s done so to this extent, however. Konecny is currently on pace for a 40-goal, 100-point season. To put the significance of that in a bit of perspective, Konecny’s best point-per-game season so far in his career was 61 over 60 games in the 2022-23 season. Also consider that the Flyers have had one player record a 100+point season in the last 28 years, when Claude Giroux had 102 in the 2017-18 campaign.
But it’s not just the point total, it’s the consistency with Konecny. He’s had at least a point in 17 of the Flyers’ 25 games this season; in the most recent 13, he’s had a point in 12 of them. He contributes at even strength (7-15-22), on the power play (5-2-7), and while he’s only scored one shorthanded goal this year, he’s probably been involved in close to double-digit shorthanded scoring chances. His 21:06 of ice time per game this year is almost three minutes more than any other Flyers forward, which includes averaging 3:00/game on the power play and 1:29/game on the penalty kill. It’s that versatility that will make him valuable to Team Canada’s roster.
As for Ristolainen, he was long expected to be part of Team Finland as one of the top seven Finnish defensemen in the league. But even that squad will be getting an improved version of Ristolainen than perhaps they thought might be coming when the event was announced this summer. Finally healthy after a long battle with injuries, Ristolainen has begun to hit the level of play the Flyers hoped he would when they acquired him. He’s being the same thorn in the defensive zone that he always has been, but now he’s found himself with a propensity to drive offense as well, making him that much more dangerous.
It's going to be a fun tournament, and for Flyers fans, it will be even more so with these three guys along for the ride.
