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Let’s throw our guy, Andrew, a bone here. Young Andrew put together a great blog on Owen Tippett, which actually may or may not have stemmed from a prior Slack conversation we had. The red-haired lightning rod wasn’t so much of a lightning rod last year, which creates an interesting talking point. Should rival teams try to pluck Tippett from Philly?
Tippett, 26, carries a $6.2 million AAV through the 2031-32 NHL Season. It’s not an unreasonable number, but it could be just high enough that makes the Flyers balk. With the emergence of Bobby Brink, Tippett finished last year skating on the third line and off the top power-play unit. His ice time went from 16:42 before the 4 Nations break to 14:31 after. If Tippett isn’t going to play a top six role, are we sure the Flyers won’t move him?
After posting 27 and 28 goals respectively the prior two seasons, Tippett’s goal production fell off a cliff dropping all the way down to 20. That’s including finishing poorly scoring just twice in the final 22 games to close the season. If Tippett isn’t going to be a huge factor on the PK, again… are we sure he’s untouchable?
Are we sure now isn’t the time to buy low?
The skillset is there to blossom into something more. I’m just not convinced that’s going to happen without an elite centerman in Philly to help complement his game. Tippett has insane speed and does have a scoring touch. Clocking at 24.21 MPH speed-wise is no joke. I’m just not sure we’ll ever see that top end version in Philly, especially if he’s permanently relegated to the third line.
His contract is reasonable, and it could look like a bargain in the right environment. As the offseason inches closer, he’s definitely someone I’m calling Danny Briere about if I’m running a team.
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