Canucks Showing Real Trade Interest in Flyers’ Owen Tippett

Tippett checks several boxes for Vancouver, including their desire to get younger and faster without initiating a teardown. At 26, he’s got size and speed, and can score off the rush. He is on pace for career-best numbers with eight goals and 17 points in 25 games. Add in the fact he signed an eight-year extension last season at a $6.2 million cap hit — and it’s clear why the Canucks view him as a potential fit.

The Flyers, however, aren’t eager sellers. Sources suggest Philadelphia was the side that shut down early talks.

Whether these two teams revisit talks remains unclear. The Flyers have several solid forwards, including Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, and Tyson Foerster, but the idea of moving Tippett isn’t something they take lightly. Philadelphia may eventually face a roster crunch, and Tippett could become the odd man out. So too: if the Canucks are willing to put forth a solid trade offer, the Flyers would consider it.

Vancouver has the assets — including first-round picks and the biggest trade piece of all in Quinn Hughes. Could this wind up being a blockbuster that contains several pieces, with Tippett going back as part of a much bigger deal? For now, the door isn’t open, but it definitely isn’t closed.