The increase in Owen Tippett trade rumors should not surprise Philadelphia Flyers fans. The talk of a team like the Edmonton Oilers desperately trying to target Tippett is a symptom of a larger situation in the NHL.
That situation involves a very thin free-agent market. If free agency promised a healthy supply of top-six forwards and high-end blueliners, players under contract like Tippett wouldn’t highlight rumors.
If anything, a player like Tippett would be more of a secondary option for teams missing out on prime free agents.
But since there aren’t very many, if any, big-ticket free agents in the market this offseason, contending teams are looking everywhere they can for solutions to their needs. In the Oilers’ case, one of their most glaring needs is scoring beyond Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Tippett fits the bill. He’s a young, dynamic forward who would look good alongside Draisaitl or McDavid.
But that’s where the Flyers should stick to their guns. The rebuild is essentially over, meaning that trading a piece like Tippett for futures just doesn’t make sense. Unless the Flyers could somehow extract unbelievable value, it just doesn’t make any sense to move Tippett.
Trading Owen Tippett would be a mistake
There’s a solid argument for selling high on a player. The prevailing logic in the NHL, like any business, is that you want to sell as high as you can on any commodity. Yes, hockey players are people, not commodities, but the logic applies just the same.
The Flyers could do well to trade Tippett at a time when the market is expected to pay a high return. But that’s precisely the issue. A desperate team like the Oilers doesn’t have the assets to make this trade worthwhile for the Flyers.
Edmonton does not have the draft capital or prospects to offset the loss of Tippett. In fact, it’s hard to fathom the sort of trade that could entice Daniel Briere to really think about agreeing to the move.
Overall, it’s hard to make a compelling business for a Tippett trade. Unless there’s a team out there willing to surrender enough pieces for the 27-year-old, there’s just no logic in making this move.
A return of at least three pieces, for instance, a top-six center, a young winger, and potentially a third piece like a solid defenseman, might make a compelling case.
But realistically, what team can offer something like that? Unless it’s a club like the Detroit Red Wings looking to get something, anything, back for Dylan Larkin, it’s tough to envision such a deal happening.
The best course of action for Briere is to set his price and push back from the table. If someone is willing to up the ante, there might actually be a conversation there.
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