yardbarker
In advance of their home matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers executed two roster moves: winger Travis Konecny was placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, and defenseman Oliver Bonk was recalled from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Konecny's IR designation is retroactive to October 8, the date he appeared in the Flyers' loss to the Ottawa Senators. Late last week, he had been considered day-to-day. With this placement, he will be sidelined for the next two games and could be eligible to return for Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.
In five games this season, the 29-year-old Konecny is the only Flyer with three points, all of which are assists. Last season, he recorded 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games, following a 76-point campaign the year before.
Bonk's recall fills the roster spot vacated by Konecny and adds depth to the blue line. Defenseman Cameron York is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and Rasmus Ristolainen is already on injured reserve.
Selected in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, Bonk scored a goal and an assist in his NHL debut during the regular-season finale last spring against Montreal. He also appeared in one playoff game without registering a point. In 46 AHL games during his first professional season, he tallied 19 points and a minus-14 rating. This year, he has two assists in two games with the Phantoms.
These moves come as the Flyers aim to boost their offense after a sluggish start. Through six contests, they have averaged just 1.17 goals per game, the lowest in the NHL. With Konecny out, the team has promoted Trevor Zegras to a top-line wing role and added Noah Cates to the power-play unit.
While a call-up cannot fully replace Konecny's production, Bonk provides the coaching staff with another option as Philadelphia seeks to reverse its early-season struggles.
The Flyers host the Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions, on Sunday night. Their next two games are against the Seattle Kraken and the Red Wings, a stretch that may offer a slightly lighter schedule while Konecny recovers. The organization will monitor the winger's status closely in the coming days as it continues to manage a list of injuries that already includes longer-term absences elsewhere on the roster.
More must-reads:.
Originally reported by yardbarker.