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Owen Tippett To Finally Make His NHL Debut

October 17, 2017, 4:27 PM ET [2 Comments]
Dan Spiegel
Florida Panthers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT



When Florida selected Owen Tippett 10th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, many experts considered it a steal. Many felt he was the most offensively gifted player available.

With any young player, conditioning, defensive responsibility, and getting accustomed to the overall speed of the NHL game are adjustments.

Tippett has been no exception.

GM Dale Tallon and new head coach Bob Boughner felt Tippett was good enough in camp to keep on the roster, but he was scratched the first four games.

Tonight Tippett will get his first professional action in Philadelphia on the third line with Jared McCann and Jamie McGinn.

This will be the first of his nine game tryout to see if he is NHL ready. If not, he'll be sent back to juniors for more seasoning. While the 6'1", 200 pound Tippett is big and strong for an 18 year old, Panther scouts said after drafting him he wasn't NHL strong just yet.

Now a summer removed from draft day, all eyes will be on Tippett to see if his immense offensive upside will make an immediate impact.

The Panthers have been one of the most offensively-minded teams in the league, averaging 42 shots per game. Putting Tippett on the third line will allow him to ease into the NHL game as well as prove whether first or second line consideration is in order.

Boughner has said that his lines may change often to keep things fresh. Case in point, Radim Vrbata has been moved up to the first line and Evgenii Dadonov down to the second with Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad, who moved up to make room for Tippett.

Eventually there might be combinations that prove cohesive enough to keep together long term, but for now Panther fans can look forward to new looks as this team comes together.

Personally I think the chances of Tippett being sent down to juniors are greater than 50%. However if he proves invaluable to the success of this team, the Panthers might be poised to make some serious noise this season and return to form of two seasons ago.

Either way it will be a win for the Panthers, who have another star in the making in the system, whether it's now or next year and beyond.

The Flyers are coming off a dominating 8-2 win over Washington and are going to be a very tough test before the Panthers head back home to avenge their 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh Tuesday night.

For now all eyes will be on Tippett as a new piece of the future begins a promising career.

Dan Spiegel
Florida Panthers Media
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