The Philadelphia Flyers extended forward Owen Tippett to a massive eight-year deal on Jan. 26 worth $49.6 million in total value for a cap hit of $6.2 million each season. Less than a month shy of being 25 years of age at the time of signing, this long-term move is set to keep him in Philadelphia through his early 30s.
Traded to the Flyers on March 19, 2022, he only had 33 NHL points in 94 games at the time. Less than two calendar years later, he signed a lucrative yet team-friendly deal that will keep him under contract through the 2031-32 season. How and why did it happen?
Who is Owen Tippett?
Tippett, selected with the 10th-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, hasn’t had a seamless transition to the NHL. Exemplified by his stint with the Florida Panthers where he didn’t develop into the star he was drafted to be with rather limited ice time, he always had the potential to be a great player but that didn’t show right away.
Coming to Philadelphia proved to be the best thing for his career, as he has evolved into one of the team’s best and most reliable goal scorers. With elite speed and a knack for putting the puck in the back of the net, the Flyers felt he was too valuable to let slip through their fingers.
Tippett started to take off in his 2022-23 campaign with the Orange and Black, scoring 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points in 77 games. Projecting to be a future 30-goal scorer at that rate and with his youth in mind, he has proven that can be an expectation moving forward. At the time of the extension, he had 18 goals and 12 assists for 30 points in 46 contests — a 32-goal pace over a full 82-game schedule.
With the signing, the Flyers are banking on him not just continuing to be an effective player but potentially growing in the future. He has years to do so and his healthy $6.2 million cap hit could be a steal moving forward if he progresses. With this deal, he has the chance to become the next icon in Orange and Black and one of the more notable players in franchise history — an eight-year contract could put him among the all-time greats in cumulative stats when all is said and done if he lives up to his potential.
General manager (GM) Daniel Briere and the Flyers are banking on Tippett and are putting a lot on the line to do so. Under the GM’s reign, this is the first big extension he has handed out — it could be one that defines his tenure, good or bad.
