PHILADELPHIA – Before getting injured recently, Owen Tippett was tearing it up offensively and maybe that was because he knew something about a new contract.
Well, that came to fruition on Friday when the Flyers forward was signed to an eight-year contract extension for $6.2 million per year and a grand total of $49.6 million starting with the 2024-25 season, according to general ganager Daniel Briere.
The Flyers are also close to signing Ryan Poehling to a multi-year contract but nothing is official yet.
“It’s not quite official yet,” Briere said. “There’s an agreement between us and he agent (two years, $3.8 million total). But nothing has been signed yet.”
The GM is confident he made a good deal with Tippett.
“When you look at the upside, age (24). . .” Briere said. “Obviously we’ve had a lot of talks. Torts (coach John Tortorella) has been very supportive. Owen is part of our core. It’s very exciting. I think over the last month he’s just realized how good he can be.
“He’s a power forward and they’re hard to find. A power forward who can score and create on his own, they’re even tougher. We think he will keep on improving. It’s the combination of power and scoring ability.”
The Flyers were hoping their rebuild would go smoothly and this is just one step in that direction. The new contract begins next season.
Tippett is currently nursing a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to play until after the NHL All-Star Game, scheduled a week from now.
“I don’t know (when) at this point,” Briere said. “It’s probably a little too early to tell. I hope so (Feb. 6). We’re not going to force him to play tomorrow (vs. Boston). That will give him some extra time (to recover). . .not have a nagging injury.
“We believe he’s going to keep improving. I kind of like the fact he kind of had to go through some tough times, made him realize he can fight through. We believe there’s more upside there.”
Tippett has scored 18 goals/30 points in 46 games this season. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Peterborough, Ontario, leads the Flyers in even-strength goals (16) and shots on goal (167), ranks tied for first in game-winning goals (three), second in goals and is tied for third in scoring.
He skated in his 200th career NHL game on Oct. 28 vs. Anaheim and tallied his 100th career NHL point on Nov. 15 vs. Carolina.
The right-shot forward set a career-high four-game goal streak, Nov. 10-18, matched his career-high four-game point streak three times, Oct. 24-30, Nov. 10-18, Dec. 19-28, and tallied a career-high 10 shots on Jan. 15 at St. Louis.
He has 49 goals/86 points, including 11 power-play goals and eight game-winning goals in 144 career games as a Flyer and owns 119 career points 63 goals/119 points), including 13 power-play goals and 10 game-winning goals in 238 contests in five NHL seasons with Florida and Philadelphia (2017-24).
Tippett was acquired by the Flyers on March 19, 2022 from the Florida Panthers along with a third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft (95th overall – Denver Barkey) and a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in exchange for Claude Giroux, Connor Bunnaman, German Rubstov and a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. He was originally selected by the Panthers in the first round (10th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
