With the Philadelphia Flyers looking to get out of their rebuild in the next couple of years, changes are more than likely afoot with their current roster, and that includes the recently extended Owen Tippett.
Tippett is now in the second year of his 8-year contract that holds a cap hit of $6.2 million. However, the rumour mill has been churning for quite some time that the Flyers could look to move the speedy winger if they wanted to improve other facets of their lineup – while also moving off a winger with so many in the pipeline.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period made a guest appearance on DFO Rundown: Insider Edition and dropped a juicy nugget that rival teams are circling around the Flyers to check in on Tippett’s availability.
“That’s another team going through the wringer a little bit but they went through the rebuild purposefully and so far it’s been working out for them,” said Pagnotta. “There’s an incline there in Philly, whereas Buffalo, as you said, they’re stuck in the mud. When you’ve got guys like Foerster and Michkov and others that are starting to earn more responsibility in that group, and you’ve got a guy like Owen Tippett who is signed long-term, cap hit is in the sixes, for what he’s capable of doing. His price tag is really fantastic, especially in a couple of years when the cap is going to be like $120 [million].”
Entering the offseason, the Flyers were always seen as a wing-heavy club with the likes of Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, and Tyson Foerster at the front of the line, followed by prospects in Nikita Grebenkin, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey expected to develop further this year as well as recently drafted prospects like Porter Martone, who should have a shot at making the big club in 2026-27.
Additionally the Flyers also have Bobby Brink and Garnet Hathaway, as well as hybrid centre/wingers in Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak. Add it all up and Tippett certainly gets lost in the jumble.
As has been the case in recent years, just because someone might be available, doesn’t mean that GM Daniel Brière is going to move them just for the sake of making change. He held onto Scott Laughton for an extra year or two before Toronto finally submitted and handed over Grebenkin and a first round pick.
Nevertheless, Pagnotta mentioned that teams are going to keep an eye on what Philadelphia does this season because Tippett’s trade protection doesn’t kick in until July. Fortunately, it’s not a back-breaking full no-movement clause, but it is a 10-team no trade list, which could throw a wrench into future plans.
“We’re gonna see, I think some teams poking around on Philadelphia to see what they want to do with Owen Tippett. We’ll see how this season progresses, nothing is imminent by any stretch. But I’m starting to get a bit of an inkling from a few teams out there that he’s going to be a guy that some teams are going to target,” said Pagnotta.
It’s essentially going to be as close to a make-or-break season for Tippett in the sense that he can play his way into staying with the Flyers, if he can jump up the depth chart and produce as he did in his first two seasons. It’s going to be a tall task with who is currently ahead of him, but he’s only 2 years removed from a 28-goal campaign.
“He has a limited no trade that kicks in July, this is his final year without any no trade protection,” said Pagnotta. “So maybe, depending on how the Flyers do this season, and depending on what his responsibilities and roles are, he may lock into a second line position or first line position for the full duration of the season, put up strong numbers, become a staple as part of their core right now. But with guys like I mentioned before like Foerster, with Michkov, obviously they’ve got Konecny and so on. If some of these guys take some of those spots or at least some of the ice time away from him, I can see Philadelphia at least listening on Owen Tippett.”
In his first full season with the Flyers, Tippett scored 27 goals and 49 points in 77 games, which included 19 even-strength goals, 8 on the power play, and 4 game-winning tallies. He also fired 231 shots and played a career-high 17:26 TOI.
He followed that up with 28 goals and 53 points in 78 games, that included 23 even-strength with 289 shots on goal in 16:35 TOI. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to improve further in 2024-25, as he potted 20 goals and 43 points in 77 games with no power play tallies in 16:00 ATOI.
He finished the year with just 2 goals and 8 points in his final 22 games, held a minus-5 rating, and fired just 46 shots in 15:39 ATOI. It was certainly not the way he wanted to usher in his 8-year contract, especially with the Flyers trying to establish a new core.
Nevertheless, under Tocchet, Tippett has produced a goal in 3 games but has seen wavering minutes. He played in 14:22 during the season opener, followed by 18:09 against Carolina, and then 14:52 in their first win of the season. He did look a little more aggressive his last time out, firing 4 shots on goal and 7 shot attempts in total, but the Flyers will likely continue with fluctuating minutes if he can’t produce consistently.
Moreover, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumours regarding Tippett, with chatter having gotten a little louder this past summer. Buffalo has always been mentioned as a trade partner because they need scoring wingers and the Flyers could use some of their top-4 defenseman. DFO’s Anthony Di Marco even posited a mock trade package that could land them Bowen Byram, if the Sabres were interested in Tippett and Emil Andrae.
Considering their standing on the team, it makes sense that Michkov, Konecny, Foerster, and Martone would be the top-6 wingers of the future for the Flyers. Konecny is signed through 2033, Foerster just re-upped for 2 seasons, Martone hasn’t signed his ELC yet, and Michkov isn’t due for restricted free agency until 2027-28.
Another important caveat is what the Flyers do with Zegras, who is an RFA at season’s end. The Flyers had long been interested in the gifted forward and his wizardry was on full display Monday night when he fed a no-look back-handed pass from behind the net to Sean Couturier for a crucial goal late in the third period.
He can find himself playing a key role in the future, whether as a winger or a centre, which would push Tippett further down the pecking order. Additionally, the “third line” with Brink, Foerster, and Noah Cates have been dominant to start the season, which limits Tippett’s options even further on where he can play in the lineup.
The beauty of it all is that the Flyers don’t have to do anything. They’re not pressed for cap space, Tippett’s contract isn’t running out any time soon, his trade protection is relatively light compared to other players, and teams will eventually become desperate for a top-6 or a top-9 scoring winger with speed.
We’re also only 3 games into the new season, but it’s evident that the clock has begun ticking for the Peterborough, Ontario native to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 season. He can certainly fight his way into a top-6 role if he can provide consistently for the club and finally reach the 30-goal mark, however that’s a pretty big “if”.
Otherwise, the Flyers could look to the trade market to improve their roster at other positions of need, with rival teams circling back.
