FLYERS FOCUSING ON TIPPETT EXTENSION

MONTREAL, QC — With the Philadelphia Flyers riding high, despite dropping their last two contests, management is shifting some of its focus on some internal housekeeping.

Flyers winger Owen Tippett, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent July 1, appears to be the team’s new focal point and the plan is to resolve his contractual matter in the near future.

According to several sources close to the situation, the Flyers are planning to get serious over Tippett’s next contract in the coming weeks. The team opened discussions with the player’s camp over the holidays and I’m told some terms were exchanged. Talks were shelved when the Cutter Gauthier trade, and subsequent fallout, took place, but negotiations are expected to ramp up.

Tippett, who will turn 25 next month, was acquired from the Florida Panthers as the main piece of the Claude Giroux trade nearly two years ago. He signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Flyers in July 2022. In 77 games last season, Tippett registered 27 goals and 49 points; he has 18 goals and 30 points through 46 contests so far this year.

Speaking with those around the league, the expectation is that Tippett’s AAV will come in around the $6 million range. While the team likely started lower, I get the sense they’re comfortable with that number. Looking around the league at comparables – Brandon Hagel and Valeri Nichuskin being good ones – and accounting for the impending salary cap increase, Tippett is likely to fall in the $6 million annual neighborhood.

The final AAV will likely depend on the term of the contract, but I get the sense there’s an appetite from both sides to go longer rather than shorter. Based on conversations I’ve had, I’d expect the contract to be in the six- to eight-year range. With the cap expected to hover around $92 million for the 2025-26 season, a longer deal could mean a high AAV.

With the salary cap expected to bump up to $87.5 million next season, the Flyers project to have around $18.6 million in cap space, according to our friends at CapFriendly. Assuming Tippett’s AAV does come in around the $6 million mark, it would leave the Flyers with north of $12 million to operate with a 16-man roster.

Aside from Tippett, goaltender Carter Hart (RFA) and defenseman Sean Walker (UFA) are the two most significant players without a contract after this season. There have yet to be any contract negotiations with Hart; the Hockey Canada investigation continues to loom and my sense is that it could be playing a role in the stagnant discussions.

In the case of Walker, I still find it hard to envision him here beyond the NHL Trade Deadline. Once viewed as a throw-in as part of the three-way trade that sent Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Walker has had a career year in Philadelphia.

Though the team would ideally like to keep him, I’ve heard that it has been difficult to come up with a contract that would make sense – especially after the Jamie Drysdale acquisition.

Teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, have continued to circle on Walker but none have met the Flyers’ price to this point. The belief is that the Flyers and Calgary Flames are keeping a close eye on one another as to what they garner for their pending UFA defensemen on the open market, though the underwhelming return for Nikita Zadorov a few months back did not help either side in current negotiations.