I'm okay with the Konecny deal. We probably had to give him either $10 million per season short term or the full 8 seasons at a more reasonable price to keep him. Nice to have him as a Flyer for life, but I also hope he puts up better numbers soon and for the most part can keep it going throughout the contract too. Paying a 35 year old $8.75 million is definitely not without risk, especially when you factor in his smallish size, his style of play and the physical pounding he will take across his career. Above all, I hope he stays healthy.
Would've preferred 10 on a shorter deal. Heck, give him 12M for 3 years. Keep him for the next few years while the team rebuild/tools. Get all the intangibles while Michkov is coming up, put an exciting player on the ice, etc. etc. Then when it comes time to turn the corner his deal is up and you come to a new agreement on a 31 year old TK who's probably pretty happy you gave him 36M the last couple years and hopefully the team is a contender and he's ready to take a discount. Maybe then he signs a 6M x 5 or something like that. He gets the same money in the end but the Flyers get a better deal while they're contending.