Oh look, Owen Tippett is getting a whole lot of attention from other NHL teams as they try to pry the talented winger from the Philadelphia Flyers before next season.
It has been no secret that the Flyers could use Tippett in a substantial deal to address one of their major positional needs — a top-six center or a top-four defenseman — but it does not seem like the Flyers are too eager to move him out just because teams are calling. And who just are those teams? We got some new names introduced thanks to a recent report.
Three teams linked to Owen Tippett in recent trade talks
According to Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco, there are three specific teams who have been consistent in their interest of Tippett. And they are all fairly interesting in their own way.
“The Flyers are not shopping Tippett by any means but are not hanging up the phone. If they were to trade Tippett, it would not be for a collection of assets, DFO was told, it would be in a “hockey” trade. DFO did ask a team source about trading Tippett in a deal for the Sabres’ Bowen Byram, with the response being that even though the trade would be fair and the right type of deal, it wouldn’t be something the Flyers are interested in at the time. That at least offers a perspective on the type of return that would make sense,” Di Marco wrote Tuesday.
“Among the teams who continue to show interest in Tippett are the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth, DFO was told.”
Well, that’s some fun teams to think about.
Tippett is under contract for six more seasons at an extremely reasonable $6.2-million AAV and is coming off a season where he improved his overall impact. While his numbers looked fairly standard for the player — 28 goals and 51 points in 81 games — Tippett actually used his big frame and elite speed to his advantage to affect the game more than just scoring some pretty goals.
Add in the fact that as soon as he was taken out of the playoffs, the Flyers’ offense looked all dried up — maybe playing the Carolina Hurricanes also had a factor in that — it only entices some teams a whole lot more this offseason to try and grab the winger.
While teams like the Edmonton Oilers also have reported interest in Owen Tippett, those three teams from Di Marco, certainly have more assets that the Flyers could actually be interested in for a very good middle-six winger that is signed to a very good contract.
What could the Flyers get back for Tippett from these teams?
All three of the Wild, Bruins, and Mammoth want Tippett for different reasons. Minnesota should view him as another offensive top-six forward to go along with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, to just get even better on the wings; and Tippett would replace Marcus Johansson on that second line as an immediate upgrade. Boston most likely loves Tippett’s long-term contract and while they aren’t going to be bottoming out, they also don’t want older win-now players, so the Flyers winger fits that mold perfectly. And Utah wants Tippett to join this similarly aged core that they have up front to then build on their first playoff appearance — just like some other hockey team in Philadelphia wants to do.
While each team might want Tippett for a different reason, they will most likely have to give a similar package. The Flyers don’t want to take a step back in any trade involving one of their most prized assets. They’re not going to send Tippett out the door for a couple first-round picks or a very good prospect who won’t be on the team until 2028. If they’re taking away some offense, they have to get an upgrade somewhere else.
Minnesota Wild
For the Wild, they do have a couple of interesting young players like center prospect, and Porter Martone’s former teammate, Charlie Stramel. The 6-foot-3 pivot fits the size quota that the Flyers have in their young players and after a breakout 44-point campaign for Michigan State, has signed with the Wild. He has yet to actually play a professional hockey game, but his name has been dangled out in some trade rumors around Dylan Larkin. So, for a just-as-speedy forward who is signed for longer and cheaper but is Canadian? Maybe that can be an option.
As for actual NHL talent in Minnesota, could there be a deal surrounding left-handed defenseman Jonas Brodin? He seems to be potentially the odd man out and while he is 32 years old, he’s under contract for just two more years and at a very digestible $6-million AAV. He would be an extremely calm and poised presence in the Flyers’ top four, but he isn’t as physical as maybe the Flyers front office wants. Does Stramel and Brodin get the deal done? It’s tough to say.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins obviously have a very good center prospect in James Hagens, and beyond that, there is some interest in other young pivots like Dean Letourneau and Matthew Poitras. For actual NHL centers, their group of Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, and Casey Mittelstadt does not scream as players who the Flyers view as an answer in their top six. And on the blue line, there is someone like 25-year-old Mason Lohrei who is left-handed and fits the Flyers’ mold as being a very tall man — but it would be fairly uninspiring if he was the guy.
Boston also, famously, has the other first-round pick of the Leafs that has some significant value. So, is there a world where they get that other Leafs pick from the Bruins and then turn the surplus first-rounders that the Flyers suddenly have into the elite center of their dreams? Maybe the guy that is in Toronto? We can just dream of this fantasy sequence of events.
Utah Mammoth
And finally, Utah has been drafting like crazy the past couple years. They have top-end prospects like winger Tij Iginla, center Caleb Desnoyers, and defenseman Dmitry Simashev. All three are basically exactly what the Flyers would want to add to this team — a power winger, a smart two-way center, and a two-way giant on the blue line — so if GM Bill Armstrong is willing to include any one of those players for Tippett, our guess would be that Briere would pounce on that offer.
There are also interesting NHL players like centers Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain, and defenseman Sean Durzi, who could very well be part of some potential return in a Tippett deal.
Basically, all three teams who were named have realistic packages that they could piece together to then trade for Tippett and both the Flyers and the acquiring team would be happy with what they got. And these are just the teams that were reported, there are most likely several other teams who Briere have been in conversation with surrounding Tippett in a trade that helps their team address their positional needs.
Tippett has a 10-team no-trade list kicking in on July 1 that could put some potential deals at risk, too. So, is there now a deadline to get something done so that Briere can make this team more balanced heading into next season? Possibly.
