Feud erupts between Flyers’ HC Vigneault and star player Konecny

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault shocked everyone Saturday when he made forward Travis Konecny a healthy scratch. I mean, he’s been one of the Flyers’ best players since the start of the season! But it is believed Vigneault was sending a wake-up call — to the player, and maybe to the Flyers as a whole.

The move surely didn’t go unnoticed as Sporstnet analyst and former NHL defenseman Kevin Bieksa talked about how a similar incident took place between he and then-Vancouver Canucks bench boss Vigneault back in the day. Elliotte Friedman used the anecdote to explain the situation in Philly in his latest 31 Thoughts column:

“Alain Vigneault’s stunning benching of  Travis Konecny  didn’t surprise one of his former players: Kevin Bieksa. During Hockey Night in Canada last Saturday, he said there was a game during the prime of his career where Vigneault told him during a morning skate that only an injury to Alex Edler prevented Bieksa from being a healthy scratch that night. (Not surprisingly, Bieksa threw a massive tantrum, smashing sticks and slamming doors.)

For several hours, fans flooded my DMs with insane trade scenarios, but save your energy — Konecny’s not going anywhere.”

So there. While there are rumours of a feud between Vigneault and Konency, some pundits understand how this might motivate the team. However, it could also create a disconnect between player and coach…

Vigneault surely has taken a risk with his controversial decision and we will have to wait and see what impact it has, not only on Konecny, but the rest of the roster as well. 

Konency was inserted back into the lineup on Sunday, against the Islanders again, but failed to record a point. The Flyers got away with this one 4-3 in overtime, thanks to Kevin Hayes. 

The Flyers are back in action tonight against the Boston Bruins. We will see if the wakeup call keeps ringing in Konecny and his teammates’ ears…