Flyers winger Travis Konecny to return against the Buffalo Sabres after 16-game absence

While rehabbing from an upper-body injury sustained on Feb. 20 against the Calgary Flames, winger Travis Konecny returned to team skates in mid-March. But those practices were light on the “team” and moderate on the “skate,” seeing as some of them were optional in the latter portion of the season.

Konecny had to recruit some of his teammates to get out on the ice to help him get used to contact and the speed of the game, which paid off. On Saturday, the Flyers announced that Konecny had been activated from injured reserve and would return to game action against the Buffalo Sabres after a 16-game layoff.

“The priority the whole time was just making sure I felt 100%,” Konecny said. “And just like all athletes, I was obviously pushing to come back. We landed here, so it’s good.”

Before sustaining the injury, Konecny scored, at a career-best, 1.04 points-per-game clip. In 52 games, he notched 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points. Despite missing 22 games total, Konecny leads the Flyers in goals and points this season. For the first time in his career, Konecny was also a fixture on the penalty kill — and a productive one at that. He’s tied for the team lead in shorthanded goals (three) with forward Scott Laughton.

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Konecny averaged 20 minutes, 3 seconds of ice time before his injury, racking up minutes at even strength and on special teams. Coach John Tortorella said that assistant coach Brad Shaw, who will be in command behind the bench on Saturday, will handle Konecny’s ice time depending on how he’s feeling as the night progresses.

“How do you approach it with TK?” Tortorella said. “Because if you don’t put him on the ice, he’s jumping over the boards anyway. We’ll see how it goes. It’s not crucial that he’s in every spot. But we also want to be fair to him, too. He’s worked hard to get back in.”

For a second straight game, Tortorella will not coach the team from behind the bench, opting to sit up top and observe from afar. Instead, Shaw will assume Tortorella’s standard duties, just as he did on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators.

Assistant coach Rocky Thompson will focus on the forwards, as he typically does, while assistant coach Darryl Williams will work with the defense. Tortorella said that removing himself from the equation gives his staff an opportunity to learn while providing a different voice to galvanize the players.

“I just think it gives [the assistants] a chance to develop and see the bench at that spectrum,” Tortorella said. “I think it’s my responsibility. And I do think players need a different voice. I’m tired of hearing myself. I can imagine how they feel, so we’re going to go about it that way and and see where we go.”

Tortorella said that the biggest benefit of sitting in the press box during Thursday’s game against the Senators was his extended time with interim general manager Danny Brière. The duo discussed the team’s style of play, what was going on during particular plays, and individual personnel. The first-year coach is looking forward to doing that again.

“The biggest plus that came out of it, at least for me, and I believe for Danny, was that,” Tortorella said, referring to his discussion with the interim GM. “We got in a room, no one else around, game going on, watching our players play, and talk about where we’re going with the process.”

Tortorella eventually will give Thompson and Williams opportunities to serve as an in-game head coach during the remainder of the season. However, he won’t give all of the final eight games to the assistants, and he’ll be back behind the bench in due time.

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Goalie Felix Sandström (2-10-3, .887 save percentage) will start against the Sabres on Saturday. Carter Hart (lower-body) is still “day-to-day,” according to Tortorella. Hart participated in a rehab skate with injured winger Cam Atkinson (neck, out for the season) before morning skate. ... Goalie Sam Ersson has been recalled on emergency conditions from the Phantoms. He will back up Sandström with Hart out. ... Forwards Kieffer Bellows and Tanner Laczynski will come out of the lineup, and defenseman Justin Braun will draw in. The Flyers will play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.