If you were looking for signs of just how much Owen Tippett matters to the Flyers, look no further than this past week. In the wake of his Goal-of-the-Year candidate, Tippett suffered a lower-body injury the next game against Colorado. In the three games since, the Flyers losing streak was extended to four games, all losses in regulation.
Tippett, 24, has 18 goals and 30 points in 46 games this season, and as he emerges as a regular threat among the Flyers forward core, his next contract was looming. Until Friday.
The Flyers announced on Friday that they have signed Tippett to an eight-year extension with an average annual value of $6.2 million.
In the hours that followed, another contract extension was reportedly finalized. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the team has also signed forward Ryan Poehling to a two-year extension with an AAV of $1.9 million.
Tippett’s role in the Flyers rebuild is certainly substantial. The former 10th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft was acquired by the Flyers on March 19, 2022 in the trade that sent Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers. In 21 games with the Flyers that season, Tippett scored four goals and had seven points.
The next season, his first full season with the Flyers, Tippett became a breakout player in the second half of the season, finishing the year with 27 goals and 49 points in 77 games.
After his first 21 games with the Flyers, Tippett signed a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.5 million. His performance over the last two seasons was going to warrant a significant raise, and GM Danny Briere appears to have gotten ahead in the timing of this.
Poehling, 25, has five goals and nine assists in 44 games this season. In his four seasons prior, Poehling played in 138 NHL games with 20 goals and 16 assists.
By signing both Tippett and Poehling, the Flyers have no forwards on the active roster who are pending free agents. The team also has three pending unrestricted free-agent defensemen – Sean Walker, Nick Seeler, and Marc Staal. Both Egor Zamula and Carter Hart are also pending RFAs. Hart is currently on indefinite leave of absence, leaving his future in question.
Tippett is currently on injured reserve, retroactive to Jan. 21. He is eligible to return when the team comes back from the All-Star break on Feb. 6.
