Although the Philadelphia Flyers are 7-5-1 after Tuesday’s game against Montréal, they sit 8th in the Eastern Conference and are just 2 points from 16th. It’s been a good start for some, quiet for others, and a question mark for the rest like Owen Tippett.
The Flyers’ speedy winger was initially brought up in trade conversations by Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco a few weeks ago, and it looks like he’s back with a bit more information pertaining to his status with the club and the next possible steps.
The Flyers’ issue over the last little while is that they have a glut of wingers, not too many standout defensemen, and very few top flight centres, if any, in the pipeline. Heading into the draft this past summer, centre James Hagens seemed like the consensus pick until Porter Martone fell into their lap.
Now with another gifted winger in their midst, players like Tippett have fallen into purgatory. The Flyers started the season with Tyson Foerster, Travis Konecny playing prominent roles up front, Matvei Michkov remains the pillar for the future despite his struggles, and Bobby Brink continues to play an integral role.
Tippett has fallen in the hierarchy despite three straight 20-goal seasons, and it certainly sounds like he’s available in trade talks. Di Marco mentioned how the Flyers don’t necessarily see a fit for him right now, nor can they find someone internally who compliments his game.
“While hot and cold stretches are to be expected of a shoot-first winger, the inconsistency in Tippett’s game has started to become tiresome from those within the organization, based on conversations I’ve had. The Flyers do like Tippett’s game but feel like they may not have the right player(s) to properly complement his style.”
Di Marco also added that team sources have begun to question his long-term fit with the organization, and that was also the case during John Tortorella’s regime. Although he liked him as a player, he felt like he didn’t know how to use him properly, and that was certainly on display last year.
It’s been a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde start to the season for the Peterborough, Ontario native, as he has 5 goals in 13 games, with all of them coming in a 5-game stretch at the start of the season. Since his 2-goal game against Seattle on the 20th of October, Tippett has gone the next 6 games with just 1 assist, a -7 rating, 12 PIM, and 13 shots on goal, but he’s skated a healthy 17:44 ATOI.
As for likely destinations, Di Marco speculatively mentioned the Toronto Maple Leafs because he believes Tippett would compliment William Nylander very well. Additionally, he mentioned that Marc Bergevin, who currently works for the Los Angeles Kings, has been scouting recent Flyers games, and they would like to add a top-6 forward.
Moreover, while those are good destinations for Tippett – and GM Daniel Brière has a working relationship with both clubs – both teams don’t have the pieces the Flyers are necessarily coveting. Toronto is short on cap space and the Kings are very unlikely to move off of defenseman Brandt Clarke.
When it comes to what the Flyers are looking for, Di Marco talked about how the club is searching for a Scott Hartnell or Wayne Simmonds type of forward – a player who is not afraid of getting to the net and scoring ugly goals. The Flyers have been very disappointed with what they’ve seen so far in that regard, especially from Konecny, who has stayed away from his bread and butter to start the year.
“Speaking with sources, the Flyers feel like they lack forwards willing to go to the front of the net and bang in the “ugly” types of goals they used to get from the likes of Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds 10-plus years ago.”
While these conversations are out there and the rumour mill is churning, Brière and the Flyers are standing firm on their “we’re not looking to move ‘X’ player.” The market is heating up for top-6 forwards even at this juncture of the season and it does sound like Philadelphia is trying to get ahead of their rebuild by finding perfect complimentary pieces for the future.
Trevor Zegras has had a fantastic start to the season and it seems very likely both sides find common ground on a contract, and the same applies to Brink. There’s still ongoing internal discussions into whether or not Zegras can become a full-fledged centre. If he’s better suited on the wing than down the middle, that makes Tippett’s spot that much more obsolete.
The high-flying winger has a lot of cache, and in the right situation, he can very easily become a consistent 30-goal scorer. However, it’s becoming more and more likely that that won’t be in Philadelphia, unless the front office makes a complete 180 on their current stance.
With a glut of wingers currently on the roster and within the pipeline, the Flyers could surely use a centre or defenseman that is NHL-ready, and Tippett would be good trade bait for that very situation.
