Flyers bet big on Owen Tippett’s offensive potential with long-term contract

Sean Couturier didn’t know Owen Tippett before the Flyers acquired the young forward from the Florida Panthers in the Claude Giroux trade in March 2022. But Couturier spent more than a year watching him from the press box as he recovered from two back surgeries and has been left quite impressed.

“He’s just spectacular. ... I was excited to get to play with him eventually,” Couturier said. “Just the speed and the shot that he has and all the offensive tools and skills that make him a special player. I think he’s putting it all together right now, starting to put it all together and you can see the potential he’s got for sure.”

At just 24 years old (he’ll be 25 in three weeks), the Flyers will now get a chance to unlock his potential. On Friday, the team signed Tippett to an eight-year, $49.6 million extension with a $6.2 million average annual value. The contract, which begins next season, will take him through the 2031-32 season when he’ll be 33.

» READ MORE: Flyers sign Owen Tippett to 8-year, $49.6 million extension

Locking down a player like Tippett for eight seasons shows the dedication of the Flyers brass to changing the culture. With the salary cap expected to rise $4.2 million next season, and the hope that it continues to rise every year after that, it makes sense to get a long-term deal done with a talented young player who was set to be a restricted free agent.

A fan favorite, Tippett has showcased increased flashes of the ability to be a high-end talent and will now have the chance to further his development and find consistency under the tutelage of coach John Tortorella. As Couturier said, “He’s got the potential to be a heck of a player.”

Before he was injured in the Flyers’ loss to the Colorado Avalanche last Saturday, Tippett had eight points (six goals, two assists) in his last seven games. Two of those goals were goal-of-the-year candidates — a defense-splitting move followed by a backhander against the St. Louis Blues, and a spin-o-rama backhander against the Dallas Stars.

“You see him do stuff like that in practice,” said goaltender Sam Ersson, who noted that Tippett has tried a few spin moves on him. “So, you know what he’s capable of doing. And the caliber of shot he has, backhand shot or whatever, it’s top-notch. So it’s sick. It’s fun to see but at the same time, you’re not all that surprised, you know what he’s capable of doing.”

Through 46 games this season, Tippett has 30 points (18 goals, 12 assists) and is on a 31-goal pace after potting a career-high 27 last season. He’s bounced around the lineup a bit but seemed to find a home on the top line with Couturier and Travis Konecny before his injury. Every game he showed a growing confidence to be a force.

Tippett has shown the ability to use his 6-foot-1, 210-pound body to protect the puck and drive around defenses with his speed — he was clocked at 24.21 mph against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 10, the fastest in the league this season, according to NHL Edge. The number of breakaways he gets and the nightly threat he provides on the rush keeps fans on the end of their seats.

As general manager Danny Brière said, “Power forwards like him, they’re tough to find [and] power forwards that can score and create on their own, even tougher.”

“He’s dominant, right?” Konecny said of Tippett, who is fourth on the club with 68 hits and plays a key role on the first power-play unit. “I’ve been giving him the puck and I’ve been telling him over and over and over when playing with him to just keep the puck as long as he can. Like, don’t give it up, you work so hard to get it back and he’s so hard to get the puck from. His speed and his heaviness on the puck with his stick and everything, he’s doing a great job of it.”

Tortorella thinks Tippett has an opportunity to be a really good NHL player. He’s gotten better when it comes to hitting the net with his heavy shot; with 79 missed shots, he ranks second on the Flyers (one behind Konecny who has played three more games) and is tied for eighth in the NHL. The bench boss continues to work with the young player on his play away from the puck, but one aspect of his game he needs to work on, and the one that drives Tortorella crazy, is his defensive game.

“Owen Tippett plays so much better when I just pour him the ice time,” Tortorella said earlier this week. “I think he stinks defensively sometimes, but I’m still going to pour him the ice time because he’s so dangerous offensively when I do that.”

There is hope that Tippett can return to the lineup shortly after next week’s All-Star break. It’ll be a boost to the Flyers, who have lost three straight since he went out of the lineup, when he does return — something Joel Farabee knows all too well. The duo played summer hockey together growing up and he knew the raw talent Tippett possessed.

“Some guys in the league, it takes them just a couple years just to figure it out,” Farabee said. “And you really see it now, he’s really just becoming a superstar in this league with how he plays. It’s special to watch. I remember when that trade went down, just being super pumped to have him because of what he’s going to be able to do the next 5-10 years here.”