The rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers are off to a decent start to this season, sitting 3-2-1 after their first seven games.

One reason has been the play of Owen Tippett. The 26-year-old right winger leads his club with five goals, with four of those coming in his previous three games.

Earlier in the season, however, Tippett surfaced as a proposed trade candidate for the Flyers to address other roster needs.

Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco mentioned the Flyers looked into acquiring defenseman Bowen Byram earlier this year before he signed a two-year extension with the Buffalo Sabres. He wondered if they might revisit their interest in Byram, suggesting a package offer of Tippett and young blueliner Emil Andrae.

The Hockey News' Jonathan Bailey said Byram could be a better quarterback on the power play than their current options, but he said the Flyers have invested in Tippett for a reason, and he's getting an expanded role on the penalty kill.

Philly Hockey Now's William James noted the recent trade speculation swirling around Tippett, acknowledging the Flyers' depth on their wings within their roster and their prospect pipeline. James felt that Tippett was under pressure to produce in the second year of his eight-year contract, adding that he could currently have a high trade value.

Nevertheless, James doubts that the Flyers will use Tippett as a trade chip, suggesting that just because his name popped up in an early-season rumor doesn't mean he'll be moved.

The Flyers are trying to build into a playoff contender as quickly as possible under new coach Rick Tocchet. Tippett is within the age group that could become a core of young talent. If they're to draw on their depth on the wing for trade chips, they could peddle those on shorter-term contracts or one of their prospects.

Maple Leafs Need To Give Nick Robertson A Chance Elsewhere - The Time Has Come The Toronto Maple Leafs need to finally make a decision on Nick Robertson. Either give him a real opportunity on the team or trade him and give him a chance elsewhere.

Turning to the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was reported last week that Nick Robertson's struggles to earn a larger roster role were once again making him the subject of trade conjecture.

Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston of The Athletic suggested the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets as trade partners. The rebuilding Penguins seek younger players, plus there's the connection with Penguins general manager (and former Leafs GM) Kyle Dubas. Siegel and Johnston believe the Blue Jackets don't have as much of a need for wingers as the Penguins, but they still think they should call.

However, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun believes the Leafs are better off retaining Robertson and his affordable $1.85-million cap hit for depth reasons, citing his scoring ability.

Robertson's been in the rumor mill for well over a year. Either the Maple Leafs have set too high an asking price, or he doesn't have as much value in the trade market as some seem to think.

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