With the Philadelphia Flyers missing out on the postseason for the fifth straight season, expect some of the players to play in the IIHF Men’s World Championship for their respective nations, especially for those on the bubble ahead of the Olympic Games in 2026.
As reported by Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim are expected to play for Team Canada during the IIHF Men’s World Championship, which will kick off on the 9th of May.
The tournament will run from the 9th to the 25th of May and will be staged in both Sweden and Denmark. Canada headlines Group A alongside Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Latvia, Austria, France, and Slovenia, whereas the United States headline Group B with Switzerand, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Kazakhstan, and Hungary.
Czechia are the reigning champions after they defeated the United States and Sweden en route to the final before taking down Switzerland by a score of 2-0. Canada were taken down in the Semi-Finals against the Swiss.
Konecny and Sanheim will look to don the red maple leaf once again after representing Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Sanheim made his way into the lineup after Shea Theodore was injured during the first game, while Konecny alternated with Seth Jarvis.
This time around with players like Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Cale Makar most likely taking part in deep playoff runs, players like Konecny and Sanheim will get better looks and more ice-time, which will be key if both players stand a chance of making the Olympic roster next tear.
There were several Canadian stars that failed to make or represent Team Canada in the 4 Nations that stand a good chance in 2026 like Connor Bedard, Mark Schiefele, and Alex Pietrangelo.
Konecny has had another stellar campaign with 24 goals and 74 points in 77 games to go along with a 20:40 ATOI. He had a fantastic start to the season after collecting 16 goals and 41 points in just 35 games in and around the time the 4 Nations rosters had to be finalized.
As was the case with most Flyers players, Konecny went through a bit of a lull after the break with just 4 assists in the proceeding 13 games. However, he has picked things back up with 9 points in bis last 7 games, including a 4-game point streak heading into Wednesday night’s game against New York.
Sanheim, on the other hand, has struggled offensively this season with just 28 points through 77 games, which is a steep drop-off from the 44 points he collected last year. His ice-time has risen to 24:31 from 23:48 and his plus-minus improved from -20 to -9 but he’s been mired in a lengthy slump.
Since December 19th, the veteran defenseman has just 1 goal and 9 points in 45 games, which includes a recent 20-game stretch with just 1 point to his name. He’s been better defensively and his overall gameplay hasn’t been an issue but the offensive dip is somewhat concerning, considering he had 20 points in the 27 games preceding his slump.
Nevertheless, the duo will look to finish the season on a high note before getting right back to work in May as they don the red and white once more in bids for Olympic roster spots.
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