With Konecny's support, Sanheim still here and responding to Flyers' challenge

VOORHEES, N.J. — For about a week in late June, Travis Sanheim didn't know if he'd ever wear a Flyers jersey again.

He didn't know if the team that drafted him in 2014 still viewed him as a part of the future.

He didn't know if he'd still be teammate of Travis Konecny, a player who has become his best friend.

All Sanheim could do was wait.

And try to keep the rumors from chewing him up.

"It was only really about a weeklong stretch," Sanheim said five days ago, "but it was pretty well every day there was something new coming out."

As offseason trade buzz picked up leading into the NHL draft, Sanheim's name was reportedly included in discussions between the Flyers and Blues. When the dust settled following the draft and noon ET on July 1 arrived, Sanheim remained a Flyer. His eight-year, $50 million contract extension went into effect, a deal that was signed last October and features a no-trade clause.

Kevin Hayes ended up going to St. Louis a day before the draft while Sanheim did not as a bigger trade reportedly never got to the finish line.

He was in touch with Hayes amid the speculation.

"It was hard not to be," Sanheim said. "Obviously he wanted to know what was going on with him, he was talking to me probably daily. … He kind of knew that he was for sure gone and he was just checking in to see whether I was with him or not."

Who else helped Sanheim stay sane? Well, Konecny, of course.

"T.K. was probably on speed dial," Sanheim said.

Konecny checked in a lot.

"Oh yeah," Konecny said. "Every five minutes."

The two have grown close over their time together with the Flyers. Konecny was drafted in 2015, made the big club in 2016-17 as a 19-year-old and is now married with two sons. Sanheim made the roster as a 21-year-old in 2017-18 and will be getting married next August.

When the trade winds picked up this summer, Sanheim appreciated Konecny's steadying support.

"Anytime I saw something new, I was constantly talking to him," Sanheim said. "He wanted to know what was going on. Obviously he cares about me and wants me to be here, wanted me to be a part of it. I didn’t want to leave him, either. We were big in talking to each other and communicating."

But how would it be for Sanheim returning to Philadelphia? Awkward? Contentious?

When did he put it all behind him?

"Probably July 1," Sanheim said with a laugh.

The 27-year-old defenseman came into training camp clear-minded and motivated. Before arriving, he had good conversations with president of hockey operations Keith Jones, general manager Danny Briere and head coach John Tortorella.

“I was honest with him, I said our job as an organization is to do the right thing, to listen, to do the right thing for the organization," Briere said Tuesday. "I was really honest with what transpired with him. But at the same time, we’re excited for the future, we signed him to a long-term contract because we believed in him."

In Briere's first offseason as GM, the Flyers went through a rebuilding summer. They traded Hayes and Ivan Provorov, bought out Tony DeAngelo and let James van Riemsdyk walk in free agency.

As Briere said in June, the Flyers were "open for business."

After Sanheim stayed put, Briere challenged him.

"And he responded," the GM said. "Fitness-wise, he was one of the best conditioned players to show up and the way he performed in preseason, it got us really excited."

Sanheim is coming off a disappointing season. There could have been multiple factors to his 2022-23 struggles. His offseason training was impacted when he fractured his foot in late May playing for Canada at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. He was also getting acclimated to a new coaching staff. During February, Tortorella benched the defenseman for a game in Calgary, Alberta, where Sanheim played junior hockey and had family in attendance.

This offseason, Sanheim put on about 10 to 15 pounds of muscle, upping his weight to around 220. In camp and the preseason, the 6-foot-3 lefty shot has pushed the puck up ice with confidence.

"It’s no surprise to the guys that know Sanny," Konecny said last Friday. "We’ve all known that he has had that in his game. They’re freeing him up to do all that stuff and he looks great."

Sanheim's summer wasn't fueled solely by the trade rumors.

"First and foremost, the motivation came from last season and how it went," he said. "Just trying to be better. I went into the offseason wanting to have a really good summer. Thought I did. Put on a lot of weight, a lot of muscle. Feel really good coming in. Just wanting to get on a better start.

"There’s more opportunity, I want to take advantage of that this season. I think that was one of the main things in the summer, that you see opportunity and it makes you excited. For the first time probably in my career, some different spots are available. I want to take advantage of that."

Growing up in Elkhorn, Manitoba, Sanheim learned how to farm and still helps his father Kent during the summer harvest. He enjoyed chatting about it with Tortorella over the phone.

“You’re in the offseason, the conversation’s a little lighter, a little bit more easygoing," Sanheim said, "and you can chat about life, get to know each other."

Tortorella said Sanheim has looked like a player "trying to make a statement."

"I think it got a little bit overdramatic out here last year about our relationship, Sanny and I. We were always communicating and talking," Tortorella said Wednesday. "But I wanted a higher standard. It wasn’t like Sanny was bucking it or anything, he was trying to get there. But it was a bit of a struggle.

"I think he has been one of the top players in camp with how committed he has been to his energy level each and every day and just how he presents himself. I think he feels good about himself. He has put on some weight, he feels stronger and I think he’s playing that way."

In the practices leading up to Thursday's regular-season opener in Columbus, Ohio, Sanheim has been on right side of the Flyers' top defensive pair and quarterbacking the second power play unit.

Last year in September, assistant coach Brad Shaw said defensemen like Sanheim are exciting "because you can't really even see the ceiling, you can't see the finished product."

Sanheim knows he hasn't hit his best yet. The chance to do so with the Flyers is still there.

“I think 27 as a defenseman, I would say you’re coming into your prime at 27," Sanheim said. "I think they usually tend to go into their 30s while they’re in their prime, maybe a little bit older than forwards are. For me, there’s an opportunity here. I want to take advantage of it. I feel like I can take my game to that next level.”

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