When the Florida Panthers announced their 23 man roster, many found it surprising that Owen Tippett made the team. Should Tippett have made the team?
After the Panthers selected Tippett in the 2017 NHL Draft, many speculated whether he would make the roster when the season came around. Tippett was a scoring machine in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and this was something that the Cats desperately needed in their lineup after losing so much offense over the offseason.
But, at the same time, Tippett’s game was still in need of development and might have benefited from one more season in the juniors. Up until training camp, fans pondered whether Tippett would make the opening night roster.
One by one, the cuts rolled in throughout training camp, but Owen’s name never came up. He received high praise from the coaching staff and front office during camp making it all the more apparent that he would make it. After the Panthers trimmed down the roster to just 25 men, Tippet was still on the roster. The Panthers quickly then released two more players from their tryouts and made it official that Owen had made the team.
While it came as to surprise for many, the Panthers made the right move overall. Taking a low risk-high reward move is what the Panthers exactly needed to do. If they had chosen to send Tippett back juniors, another prospect or Brandon Pirri would have likely taken Owen’s spot. By making this decision, they would have invested all their marbles in another player to produce. With Tippett, they can plug him into the lineup and hope that he lights it up on the score sheet. If not, they can send him back to juniors after nine games.
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Although Tippett’s game might have matured more back in juniors, the Panthers would have never had the chance to see how he performs at the NHL level in regular season format. Just like when the Panthers chose to send 2015 draftee, Lawson Crouse back to his junior team, they never got a glimpse of what he could have brought to the team.
This then led to Crouse being traded away from the team (part of the Dave Bolland deal). By bringing in Tippett, this gives the Panthers a chance to evaluate his game at the NHL level rather than watching him dominate the junior league again (which he’ll do with ease).
The key to Owen’s success in the NHL this season is if the coaching staff will place him on a line where he can succeed (best utilized). As of now, it appears that Tippett has made the team as a healthy scratch player. This is certainly not a good situation for him and his development. If the Panthers are really putting him on a 9 game tryout, they need to plug him with veteran scorers that can help him show his full potential.
The only way to find out if Tippett can succeed this year is to have him play these 9 games on a good line (preferably 2nd if possible). If he succeeds, great. If he doesn’t, that’s also is fine to. There are plenty of prospects in the AHL waiting for their turn and Owen could always go back to the OHL (to further develop).
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Owen Tippett made the team for a reason and if the Panthers want him to succeed (they should), then they must play him with the right line mates. Look for Tippett (and his play) when the season opens on Friday night, along with Florida’s home opener on Saturday night to.