Every year at this time, there is a story about some big-name guy who may be dissatisfied with his current team and wants off it. Maybe it is for financial reasons, or after years on a bad team, they want to play for a winner. How much of these rumors are true, how much is an attempt by an agent to get something more for his client, and how much is just talk? Who really knows for sure?
If you dig really deep into the bowels of this website, you'll find articles hoping for star players each offseason for the last few years. Some of them have been semi-realistic, while others have been more pie-in-the-sky types. Connor McDavid, anyone? Already this year, there has been hopeful speculation about Connor Bedard, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, and Dylan Larkin, to name a few. Some of these names are more possible than others, while others are clearly pipe dreams.
Whether or not it is a pipe dream, one name pops up more than any other Flyer when it comes to trade bait: Owen Tippett. Scott Rogust even wrote a recent piece about why Edmonton might be hot for him. He's been the subject of trade rumors for years.
Despite his talent and his chemistry with the team, hockey prognosticators always want to move him. Yes, there is a glut of talent at right wing, and it does seem he could be replaced by Porter Martone or Denver Barkey, amongst others. However, there are some major reasons the Flyers need to hold onto him.
The Flyers Should Hold Onto Owen Tippett
A big part of it is his speed. When the Flyers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoffs, they really missed his speed. During the Penguins series, he scored one goal with one assist and nine shots on goal. Now, that doesn't sound all that impressive, but when you consider he was playing with a sports hernia and had internal bleeding, it shows he put it all out there on the ice. Considering how close some of the games against the Canes were, maybe we missed him more than we realize.
He's got a lot of vision. He can see the ice open up and get a play going. Tippett can be the guy who can start a transition and get a 2-on-1 advantage into the opposing zone.
Tippett can indeed be super streaky. When he is hot, it is harder to find anyone else like him in the NHL. However, when he is cold, he is super cold. All of the same generic sports phrases come to play: "he's trying too hard", "it's just not going in", "the points will come when they come", etc.
The hard part is that the Flyers have a weird history here. They tend to give up on a lot of young players way too soon. Search the dustbin of Philly's history, and you will find Patrick Sharp, Shayne Gostisbehere, Vaclav Prospal, etc. lying there. On the other hand, there is the rare occasion that they hold onto someone, hoping they "recapture" that spirit when they were younger, like Matt Read.
Tippett ain't Read. He hasn't regressed each season. While he hasn't made that dramatic jump we keep waiting for, he has battled injuries. Perhaps with his no-trade clause kicking in, he won't feel any pressure about being traded every season. Maybe with him being healthy, he will finally take that leap. We'll just have to see.
Team chemistry is also very important. He is a popular locker room guy. Those can be hard to replace. Many times, you can stock your team with talented players, but if they don't gel, it can fall apart quickly (New York Mets, anybody?). If the Flyers are a tight group of guys, you don't want to shake that up too much.
Tippett should remain a Flyer for years to come. Unless someone actually offers us a generational guy like Nathan McKinnon, his name should stay off the table.
