Owen Tippett is One Good Takeaway From an Awful Flyers Season
The Flyers wrapped up their home opener Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center with an exciting finish. Owen Tippett scored his second goal of the night in overtime to send fans off for the last time this season. Ivan Provorov skated through the neutral zone, found Tippett, and Tippett skated towards the net with a nifty backhand forehand move. It was a very impressive game-winner!
The purpose of this is less about the Flyers as a team and the win. As we all know, this year was a DISASTER. The questions really are: Who is Owen Tippett? What is his ceiling? Is he a true piece to the future core during this rebuild?
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It’s pretty remarkable what he was able to blossom into this year under John Tortorella.
Tippett was drafted in the first round, 10th overall, by the Florida Panthers in 2017. His first taste of NHL hockey, he played seven games and only recorded one goal.
Combined between two seasons after that, he played a total of 87 games with 13 goals.
When Claude Giroux realized his time was over in Philly, he cornered Chuck Fletcher a bit at the trade deadline. Giroux forced himself to Florida. This led to less teams picking up the phone and made Fletcher’s job harder to maximize a return.
Enter 24-year-old Owen Tippett. A 6’1 forward with speed. A player who knows how to use his body for leverage. Most importantly, he has a FANTASTIC shot. He can snipe goalies’ short side, pick corners far side, protect the puck well, and can generate great looks for his teammates due to the threat of shooting.
Tippett just wasn’t able to showcase that in Florida.
It’s amazing how much confidence can do. He flies on the forecheck making it difficult for the opponent’s defensemen to break out of their zone and when carrying the puck, enters the offensive zone with a purpose. His skill set can be beneficial to powerplay time, too. (Even though the team didn’t have much success in that department, it’ll be an area to watch him grow)
In 76 games for the Flyers, Tippett scored 26 goals with one game to go. Plus, he recorded 21 assists.
I’m not here to sell you Tippett being a superstar, but he is a completely different player than what everyone saw in Florida. He has the ability to be a piece that fixes the franchise we all love. I truly believe he can be a 30-goal scorer.
Here’s a few highlights:
OWEN. TIPPETT. #CBJvsPHI | #FueledByPhilly pic.twitter.com/Gpe3fSQxBI
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 12, 2023
Power slay goal. #CBJvsPHI | @TippettOwen pic.twitter.com/AJnAV93XZc
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 12, 2023