Philadelphia Flyers 2023-24 Player Preview: Owen Tippett
When the Philadelphia Flyers traded their beloved captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers in the spring of 2022, it was believed, at the time, that the return was underwhelming. The first-round pick garnered in that trade wouldn’t come for two seasons. The prospect that came over, a young forward named Owen Tippett, hadn’t really proved himself to be worth a spot in the lineup.
It’s funny how much 12 months can change everything. Now, it looks as if the Flyers have won this trade deadline deal, hands down. Given his first real opportunity to showcase his skills, Tippett exploded last season. He scored 27 goals, nearly double the 14 total goals he scored in parts of three seasons in Sunrise. His 27 goals were just four behind Travis Konecny for the team lead, and his 49 points were good for third-highest. Tippett also registered his first career hat trick last year.
What is keeping Flyers fans excited is that this could be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Tippett’s talents. He has shown a lot of growth this past year. He took only 16 penalty minutes while doling out 125 hits, taking 69 blocks, and collecting 44 takeaways. His blocks were the highest amongst the team’s forwards and only Noah Cates had more takeaways. Tippett’s development on the defensive side of the puck could allow him to become one of the best two-way wingers in the NHL, at some point.
While Cates seems to be following Sean Couturier as an effective two-way forward, Tippett has done whatever Coach John Tortorella has asked of him. When players, such as Konecny, Couturier, and Scott Laughton were injured, Tippett took the team on his back. You need a scorer, here’s Tippett. Need someone on the power play? Tippett scored eight goals on the advantage to lead the Flyers there too.
Next. Rasmus Ristolainen. dark
Tippett is only 24 and just finding his stride in the pros. Will he be a Mikael Renberg and follow up a great first year with some adequate years before fading away? Is this the start of something great before making his mark on the NHL? Time will tell. However, he is one of the brightest talents on the Flyers, and will surely be one of the most exciting players to watch in this upcoming season.