Flyers Pending RFA Owen Tippett Comments On Contract Talks

Coming off a 27-goal season in his first full year with the Philadelphia Flyers, forward Owen Tippett is following that up nicely, with seven goals and 13 points in 18 games thus far. But he will see his two-year contract ($1.5M cap hit) come to an end this season, and he's now revealed where things stand on contract talks in advance of his restricted free agency:

“No [contract talks],” Tippett said. “Not that I know of”.

As related by Jonathan Bailey of Philly Hockey Now, the former 10th overall pick (Florida Panthers, 2017) is actually averaging two less minutes (15:13) per night than last season (17:26), and yet still is on pace for a career-high 32 goals and 59 points. 

Tippett plays a top-six role, with plenty of time on the power play as well (recently moving from PP2 to PP1). There's no doubt his AAV will be taking a big jump from the expiring $1.5M, but the Flyers could possibly keep it at a reasonable number if they were to act sooner than later. It's somewhat surprising that, as Tippett has noted, there are no extension talks ongoing. 

In the meantime, Tippett will continue to do his thing, which now has seen him pot five goals in the last five games, and his negotiating power will continue to go up. 

Photo: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports