STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - While Travis Konecny plays for Canada at the World Championship, his NHL team found its next bench boss.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers officially hired Rick Tocchet as the franchise's 25th coach after weeks of speculation. 

Tocchet opted not to sign a contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks just one year removed from winning the Jack Adams Award, and he's now on his way to the City of Brotherly Love. 

The Flyers haven't made the playoffs since 2020, so there are expectations on Tocchet to be the coach who changes their fortunes and turns everything around. 

The 61-year-old will have the opportunity to coach emerging star right winger Konecny, whose five points in three games are tied for the second-most on Canada at the Worlds.

"I met him at the 4 Nations, so I got a little connection there, but I haven't had the opportunity to talk with him yet,"  Konecny said. "I'm really excited for a new chapter, and I'm looking forward to working with him."

It's critical for all-star caliber players to have a good rapport with their coach. That doesn't just happen overnight, though.

Konecny looks to build a strong relationship with Tocchet over the next few months as the Flyers enter this new chapter. 

"I mean, for me, it's more just building a relationship," Konecny said about what he looks for in a coach. "So that'll be the first thing, try to get to know each other, know what we're all about, how we work, what makes us both go and try to work together. We all want the same thing, so as long as we're on the same page."

Over the past few seasons, Konecny has emerged not only as the Flyers' premier player but as one of the most explosive forwards in the NHL. 

The 28-year-old is coming off his best statistical season, recording 24 goals, 52 assists and 76 points in 82 games while averaging 20:36 of ice time. 

It's taken a while for Konecny to reach this point in his career since the Flyers selected him in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft. The bottom line is that he has reached a status where he's a must-watch player every time he steps onto the ice.

"It just takes a while. I mean, hockey is tricky," Konecny said of his improvements. "You can have all the skill in the world, the speed, the physicality, but it's a lot about just learning the game, learning where the good ice is, learning where to have your stick at the right times and where players are going to be. That takes a little bit of time, and I feel like I'm starting to understand."

Much of that improvement came under the tutelage of John Tortorella, who served as the Flyers' coach for nearly three years before getting relieved of his duties toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Despite ending on rocky terms in Philadelphia, Konecny is grateful for Tortorella and still considers him to be a friend, regardless of what transpired between the coach and the organization. 

“I loved Torts,” said Konecny. "Torts is a huge reason why I keep getting better as a player every year. He's the reason I got to stay and sign with the Flyers. He believed in me and put me in a lot of different situations that I probably never would have been in. 

"He believed in me, and I have nothing but respect for him. We have a friendship. I'm sure we'll have a chance to reconnect at some point."

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Konecny feels that he's only getting started, and there's still another gear he could hit before ultimately reaching what he deems as his highest potential.

"I think everyone, until the end of your career, thinks you got more," Konecny said. "There hasn't been a point where I'm content with where I'm at. I look at each summer, each game, each tournament I can be a part of as an opportunity to get better."

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