The Flyers’ captain-less locker room has allowed for different types of leaders to emerge

Leadership used to weigh heavily on a young Travis Konecny’s shoulders.

“Before, if I ever was to get an opportunity like that, I used to stress more about it because I knew there wasn’t always 100 percent belief in [me],” Konecny said. “So I was afraid to mess up or make a mistake.”

At 25 years old and as a veteran in the Flyers locker room, Konecny has finally been able to fully embrace who he can be as a leader. He’s been helped by the lack of structured leadership in the room this season.

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Claude Giroux, the longest-tenured captain in Flyers history, taught Konecny and some of the other Flyers a lot about what it means to lead by example. When he was traded to the Florida Panthers last season at the deadline, the room felt his absence. By training camp, the lack of a captain felt “normalized,” Scott Laughton said. But they returned to a room without veterans Sean Couturier (back injury) and Cam Atkinson (neck injury) as well as the addition of a new coach.

John Tortorella made it clear that the Flyers wouldn’t be naming a captain anytime soon with him behind the bench. Instead, he gave Laughton an “A” and no one else a letter. Forty-six games later, Tortorella is still happy with his decision and doesn’t even know if he’ll name a captain next season.

The lack of assigned leadership in the room has actually led to a growth of leadership. Without the hierarchy of a captain and alternate captains, more players, like Konecny, feel comfortable stepping up. Giroux impacted what leadership means to a lot of the players, and they still model themselves by the lessons they learned from him. But the open room has highlighted that there are many types of leaders.

The energetic Konecny has led the way on the ice, both by his performance (he boasts a team-high 24 goals and 48 points) and the hard work he put in to bounce back from a bad season. James van Riemsdyk is a leader in the way players feel comfortable going to him for help on and off the ice, Laughton said. It’s even paved the way for quiet rookie Noah Cates to become a team leader in the way he does all the right things.

“I’ve noticed a bunch of guys that have probably felt more comfortable having that space to just feel free to speak up,” Konecny said. “And it’s not like the captains and assistants in the past ever made you feel like you couldn’t. Just, as a young guy, you just keep quiet and let the leaders do the talking.”

The Flyers had to go through some struggles — like a 10-game skid — for the locker room to reach the balance that it’s at now, Laughton said. That’s when you “see what’s really going on” and “see people’s true colors.” They’ve recently bounced back immediately from blowout losses — 6-2 to Toronto, 6-0 to Boston — with wins.

The season has also highlighted the importance of Laughton, van Riemsdyk said. He’s always been a player that guys looked up to and felt comfortable around. While the responsibility of his letter has forced Laughton to step up in different ways, he said he’s still trying to be the same person. Van Riemsdyk and Konecny agreed Laughton hasn’t changed who he is.

“He’s probably that one guy that does deserve to have that [letter],” Konecny said. “No matter the situation, last year, this year, whenever, he does all the right things.”

Despite going 5-0-0 to start his NHL career, goalie Samuel Ersson was still sent back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms when Felix Sandström’s conditioning stint finished on Friday.

He’s gone in presence but not in spirit. Tortorella emphasized that it was not Ersson’s play that got him sent down. It’s much more complicated than performance, centered around waivers and the business side of things. Tortorella said general manager Chuck Fletcher could better speak to that.

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On Tortorella’s part, he spoke to Ersson twice and said both conversations were very positive. In addition to his record and impressive .918 save percentage, he said Ersson brought swagger and a steadying influence to the team.

The Flyers play the Detroit Red Wings at 7 p.m. Saturday in Detroit. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the Flyers are holding a Caturday event at the Philadelphia Brewing Company from 12-3. “Drink a beer, adopt a cat!” Tortorella said. Laughton, a noted cat guy and a “new adoptee dad,” also said to go adopt a cat. ... Carter Hart will start in net. The lines and pairings, which were changed mid-game Thursday, are back to what they have been for the last eight games.