Owen Tippett is drawing more trade calls than Travis Konecny, and the Flyers keep hearing from rival clubs while both wingers sit on injured reserve.
Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco reported the split earlier this week, and it was making the rounds again this morning. Over the last year, the 27-year-old has been the hotter name on rival wish lists.
One club has asked about both. The Minnesota Wild, per the report, lean toward Konecny but still view the other winger as the more explosive player.
Interesting read from a team that's 9-3-3 and first in the Central. Bill Guerin isn't shopping out of panic, even after Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders.
Kirill Kaprizov already leads Minnesota with 14 goals. Whoever Guerin brings in won't be asked to carry the offense.
Philadelphia is a different story. The Flyers sit 30th overall and dead last in the Metropolitan.
Wild roll into Philadelphia November 3 with trade chatter swirling
Only 29 goals through 15 games. Everything wrong in Philadelphia starts there.
Wednesday's 5-2 loss in Washington made it three straight. Rick Tocchet's group is 3-5-2 over its last 10, which is a polite way of saying it's sinking.
And the two wingers everybody's calling about can't help. Tippett has 2 points in 9 games this season.
He's on IR with an upper-body injury, expected out until at least November 1.
Konecny looks worse on paper. He has no goals and 3 assists through 5 games, with a lower-body injury that runs until at least November 3.
Buying either one right now is like making an offer on a house while the inspector is still in the basement. You're paying for the listing photos.
The price tags don't match either. Konecny carries an $8,750,000 cap hit, and the younger winger sits at $6,200,000.
So why would the Wild prefer the older, pricier option?
Minnesota has this backwards. When you already have Kaprizov driving the bus, you want the cheaper, younger shooter with the bigger gear, and that's Tippett.
For Daniel Briere, the clock matters more than the preference list. Matvei Michkov, 21, leads the Flyers with 9 goals, and the rebuild clearly runs through him.
But moving a winger now means moving him at his lowest value. Nobody hands over a premium asset for a stat line that fits on a sticky note.
Sunday's puck drop at home against Utah comes first. Then the Wild arrive straight from Washington for Tuesday's first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
That's the exact date Konecny's timeline points to. Whether either winger dresses that night, with Guerin's club on the other bench, is anybody's guess.
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Should the Flyers trade Owen Tippett to the Wild before Travis Konecny?
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