Owen Tippett emerged as a dynamic scoring threat on the wing in his first full season with the Flyers.
It took Owen Tippett some time to fully adjust to life with the Philadelphia Flyers after the team acquired him from the Florida Panthers in last year's Claude Giroux trade. In his first 21 games with the Flyers at the end of the 2021-22 season, Tippett logged a grand total of four goals and seven total points.
The 24-year-old failed to develop into a consistent point producer during his tenure with the Panthers, and after his first (abbreviated) trial run with the Flyers, many were concerned he just didn't have what it took to be a high-end player in the NHL.
Well, no one is questioning Tippett's sky-high potential after the 2022-23 campaign. Tippett broke out as a legitimate weapon for the Flyers, and he's likely carved out a role as a no-doubt-about-it top-six forward as the club enters the early stages of its rebuild.
Season In Review
With Claude Giroux no longer in the fold and both Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson out for the season, the Flyers needed someone — anyone — to step up and take a significant leap forward as a point producer.
Travis Konecny certainly answered the bell, as did a few of the Flyers' other younger players, but Tippett's blossoming into a dynamic power forward proved to be one of the more exciting developments of the entire season.
Tippett ended up logging 27 goals and 49 total points in 77 games during the 2022-23 season. Konecny was the only Flyer to find the back of the net more, but it was Tippett who led the way in goals scored on the power play.
Tippett's play-driving numbers were impressive as well. Of all 19 Flyers skaters to earn at least 400 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time during the regular season, Tippett ranked fourth in Corsi For percentage, fourth in Expected Goals For percentage, and third in Expected Goals For per 60 while leading the entire team with 169 shots on goal.
Tippett was ripping shots left and right toward the end of the season, and for good reason. He was playing the best hockey of his life, and a whole lot of those shots were hitting the back of the net.
From the Flyers' season-opener to February, Tippett averaged a solid 1.96 shots per game. But from the beginning of March to the season finale? He was firing 2.80 shots on goal on a nightly basis.
Tippett's confidence had never been higher, and it was showing both by numbers and by the eye test. Before long, he had become one of head coach John Tortorella's favorite players, and toward the end of the campaign, it wasn't unusual to see Tippett playing 21, 22, 23, or even 27 (!) minutes a night.
"He steps on the ice, he's dangerous," Tortorella told the media in March. "I think he thinks he's a good player. I was just telling the coaches. We know he's a good player. More importantly, I think he thinks he's a good player. And he's kind of letting it go."
Tippett's breakout campaign was not only impressive, but it was critical. The Flyers needed Tippett to develop into a bona fide top-six forward, especially given the lack of high-end talent among their group of forwards. Tippett made the most of his opportunity, and now he appears likely to be a cornerstone player in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future.
"For me, this year was a big stepping stone in just kind of realizing what kind of player I needed to be to have success, and I think I was able to find that. Obviously, with that comes confidence," Tippett told the media during his exit interview.
"Obviously, going into the offseason, it helps to kind of have that confidence and be able to build off that."
Standout Moment
Tippett put together the best single-game performance of his young career in a tilt against the Buffalo Sabres on St. Patrick's Day. He scored his first NHL hat trick and registered a whopping seven shots on goal to guide the Flyers to a 5-2 victory and end a four-game losing skid.
Of the three goals he scored that night, his third one truly was the cherry on top. After a draw in the defensive zone, Tony DeAngelo skied the puck into the neutral zone and sprung Tippett for a breakaway. Tippett then beat veteran netminder Craig Anderson with a filthy backhander to give the Flyers a comfy four-goal cushion.
Bottom Line
Tippett was selected 10th overall in the first round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He's always had the potential to score goals regularly in the NHL, but he just couldn't put it all together in Florida.
He is in Philly, though, and the Flyers are hoping there's even more room for growth.
Tippett is going to play a significant role on the wing moving forward. Depending on what moves the Flyers make this offseason, it's possible (and even likely) he will begin the season skating on the top line. And if so, no one can argue he hasn't earned that spot.
Tippett has only one more year on his contract at a manageable cap hit of $1.5 million. But if he continues playing the way he did in 2022-23, he'll be due for a nice pay day next summer.
Verdict:
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.