Friday Forecheck: TK Surges Through January

Flyers alternate captain Travis Konecny won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team's most valuable player in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. After a slower start this season by his standards, he's begun to build a case for a three-peat.

The 28-year-old right wing, who has spent his entire career in the organization since being drafted 24th overall in 2016, is not worried about personal stats per se. Nevertheless, he deserves commendation for how he's almost singlehandedly put the team on his back offensively in the last month. January has been a very rough stretch for the team overall. Konecny, however, has led by deed.

Entering January's final game on Saturday versus the LA Kings (12:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena), Konecny has taken over the Flyers' scoring lead with 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists). Trevor Zegras is second with 46 points (19g, 27a). For the month of January to date, Konecny paces the club with eight goals and 14 points. Owen Tippett is second with six tallies and 11 points.

Both Tippett (January 23 in Colorado, four-point game) and Konecny (January 28 in Columbus) have recorded a hat trick game over the course of the month. Each has a shorthanded goal to his credit this month. Konecny also scored two unassisted breakaway goals in the Flyers' 2-1 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Without question, the bright spots in an otherwise poor month have been the wins in Vegas and Colorado as well as an emotional 5-2 home win over the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6.

For his part, however, Konecny is not in search of silver linings. He wants results and knows they're needed immediately.

"I've been through this so many times. I'm tired of missing the playoffs. That's kind of all I look at right now. I just want to get points for the team. We need to figure something out," Konecny said to Brian Smith after Thursday's 6-3 loss in Boston.

"Me and D'vo (linemate Christian Dvorak) have been scoring goals but we're also giving up goals. If you ask me or him, we'd say if we can limit those (defensive lapses), it'd really help the team. All the leaders would say the same thing. It starts at the top."

The Flyers have three games remaining before the Olympic break, all at home. After playing the Kings on Saturday, the Flyers host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and Claude Giroux's Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Both weekday games are at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Carnival Weekend

The annual Flyers Charities Carnival Is on Sunday, February 1. Xfinity Mobile Arena doors open at 10:30 a.m. Flyers players will rotate through the arena for assorted activities, including Sign and Snap sessions, Giant Pong, Giant Darts and Pop-a-Shot. There are also opportunities to meet and take pictures with Rick Tocchet, Daniel Briere, and Keith Jones. Meanwhile, there will be a large contingent of other Flyers Alumni platers stationed on Club Level. For the full schedule of events and a map of who will be where and when, click here.