Early in the NHL season, fans, writers, and occasionally organizations love to press the panic button. That has led to a flurry of rumors and speculation around Owen Tippett this last week.
Although we've already seen interest in trading him debunked, it can persist within the fan base and spread across social media. The thought creeps into your head: he's scoring; trade him now while his value is up!
That is the exact opposite of what the Flyers should do. Owen Tippett is a player that they'll want to have, even if he seems like he doesn't fit the roster at times.
Owen Tippett is not a perfect player. He might've been overrated as a 10th overall pick, but he's proven that he has all of the tools and potential to be a high-end goal scorer and power forward in this league. If his output can be pushed up to recording around 300 shots on goal a year, he'll score 30 goals easily.
While he's racking up solid goal-scoring numbers, he'll also throw 150 hits, stay out of the box, and create plenty of rebounds for his teammates. He'll also be sneakily one of the strongest skaters in the league. He's a player that most winning organizations would want to have on their roster.
Except Flyers fans are ready to jettison him for players in the AHL, or not even playing pro hockey yet. Tippett takes up a valuable winger space, in just about the only position the Flyers have some serious depth. Add that to the fact that the Flyers are still obviously a rebuilding squad, and a player like Tippett who goes through streaks of being lethal, and being unable to hit the broad side of Broad Street during some stretches.
As the time rises, so will Tippett
The 26-year-old currently leads the Flyers in goals with 5, and he'd be one of the betting favorites to finish the season on top of the team's goal list.
Tippett's biggest issue is that the Flyers don't have the offensive depth at center to give him two effective running mates without hampering the other lines. Most recently, he's been playing with Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier, who, while good players, aren't really who you'd want with a player like Tippett.
Konecny shoots just as much as he does, and while Couturier looks pretty good now that he's healthy, he isn't a truly dynamic offensive force. He never was, and it would be unfair to expect his game to expand to that level at this stage. Noah Cates is playing well, but he has chemistry with his linemates that you wouldn't dare disturb. Christian Dvorak is bouncing around the lineup, and Trevor Zegras has a lot of talent, but his days at center might be numbered.
As the Flyers become a more attractive destination, they'll fill out the depth and find key players to complement their existing pieces. Tippett is a run-and-gun player. Like a Simon Gagne, he needs a truly talented pivot to feed him the puck, and probably needs a power forward type to help clear space and clean up messes.
Recreating a Gagne, Forsberg, Knuble line is probably unlikely, but they can get pieces similar and build around the piece they already have, and the one that is arguably the most valuable, in Owen Tippett.