‘Getting close’: Help is on the way as Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett return to practice for reeling Flyers
The Flyers could soon get a much-needed boost from the return of two of their top scorers. Konecny (lower body) has been out since Oct. 8, while Tippett (upper body) has not played since Oct. 15.
Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny returned to practice on Friday for the first time since each was placed on injured reserve. Both are “possibilities” for Sunday’s home game vs. Utah, coach Rick Tocchet said.
“They’re now day-to-day more than ever, it’s getting close,” Tocchet said. “Hopefully they get a few good days of practice and then, whether they come to me or whether the doctors say they’re ready to go, that’s the next process.”
Konecny, who was placed on Injured Reserve on Oct. 11 with a lower-body injury, wore a yellow non-contact jersey, while Tippett, who has been on IR since Oct. 19 with an upper-body ailment, wore a regular black jersey. Both took part in the entire practice, with Konecny clearly testing out his right leg in early skating work after he got on the ice. He was not visibly limited in the full-team drills and took hits and played physically.
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“When a player like — originally you put him in a non-contact, but then as practice goes on, he feels like ‘Hey, I need contact,’” Tocchet said. “You’ve got to have the player have a feel too. He is [so] safely, he could have taken some contact, but I think as the practice went on, he was like, ‘hey, I want more [contact].’ I think he actually had a good practice today.”
Konecny, who has led the Flyers in scoring in six of the past seven seasons, has not played since hitting Ottawa’s Tim Stützle on Oct. 8. Tippett last played on Oct. 15 against Detroit.
Center Jacob Gaucher was returned to Lehigh Valley on Thursday, which is another indicator that one of the two might be ready to play on Sunday against Utah. Tippett has one goal and one assist in nine games this year, while Konecny has three assists in five games.
Fourth-line winger Noel Acciari missed practice after an injury scare in Washington; the Flyers rotated Konecny and Cole Knuble alongside Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak, and slotted Tippett in with Denver Barkey and Michael Bunting in Acciari’s usual spot. That could also be an indicator that despite the jersey colors, Konecny is closer to a return than Tippett. Knuble has made a strong early impression in his first stint with the Flyers, but if Konecny and Tippett draw back in, he might be sent back down to Lehigh Valley.
The Flyers, mired in a three-game skid after winning three in a row, could use both of the veteran wingers’ scoring touch, but they especially miss Konecny’s vocal and emotional leadership. After the game in Washington, multiple veterans on the team, including captain Sean Couturier, criticized the team’s compete level and togetherness on the ice. Tocchet said it’s “huge” to have Konecny back in the room skating with the group.
“There’s adversity, expectations that hit the team, we’re trying to handle it, and we’re learning every day,” Tocchet said. “Having a veteran in there does help it. We’re missing three or four guys that help calm situations down. We’re asking a lot of young guys to do big roles for our team early in their career, like 19-, 20-year-olds, and I think we have to take it easy on them sometimes.”
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Breakaways
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that security issues are not sufficient reason for the Russian hockey federation to be banned from international competition, paving the way for Russia to compete again as early as the World Juniors in December. Multiple European federations have already spoken out against the decision, including 2027 World Championship host Germany. Russia has not been allowed to compete in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournaments since 2022 due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Flyers winger Matvei Michkov would be eligible to represent Russia in that 2027 tournament if the decision is upheld.
