The New York Islanders have quietly become one of the better stories in the NHL this season. Tied for second place in the Metropolitan Division and riding a four-game winning streak heading into the March 6 trade deadline, a team that missed the playoffs entirely last year is suddenly in the thick of a real postseason push.
Now GM Mathieu Darche faces the question every contending GM has to answer at this time of year: do you stay the course, or do you upgrade?
If he decides to add, one name worth watching is Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett.
The Trade Buzz
According to Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco, Tippett has drawn interest from multiple teams ahead of the deadline, with New York among those who have surfaced as a potential destination.
Flyers GM Danny Briere has made clear that the right offer could change things, and the fit between Tippett and the Islanders makes a lot of sense on paper.
Tippett, 27, has posted 19 goals and 17 assists through 59 games this season for a Flyers team carrying a winger logjam that will only worsen when top prospect Porter Martone arrives.
Why It Makes Sense for New York
The Islanders’ run this season has been built on resilience and structure. They are a remarkable 8-0 in overtime games and have won three of their last four contests after trailing in regulation. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been the backbone of the team’s playoff push, and a stout defensive identity has masked a persistent offensive limitation.
Coming into this season, the Islanders averaged just 2.71 goals per game, tied for 27th in the league. The power play was ranked 31st at 12.6 percent. Mathew Barzal, when healthy, gives New York a legitimate top-line driver, but the wings around him have lacked finishing ability all year.
That is precisely where Tippett fits. His advanced numbers tell a compelling story: an xGF% of 54.0 at 5-on-5 means he drives play in his team’s favor even on a Flyers team that struggles in possession.
His P/60 of 2.01 and G/60 of 1.00 at even strength are exactly the kind of numbers the Islanders need on their top line. NHL EDGE data places him in the 98th percentile in top skating speed among forwards, a trait that would pair naturally with Barzal’s east-west game and create a different kind of dynamic for opposing defenses to manage.
Beyond the metrics, Tippett is also a physical presence. He has 112 hits this season to go with his offensive production, a combination that fits the Islanders’ team identity and what head coach Patrick Roy has built defensively.
The Contract Question
One of the more appealing elements of this potential deal is that Tippett is not a rental. He signed an eight-year, $49.6MM extension with Philadelphia that carries a $6.2MM cap hit through 2031-32.
For a team in Darche’s position, trying to reward a surprising season without blowing up a young roster, acquiring a 27-year-old with six years of team control checks every box.
New York has the cap space to absorb the contract. The bigger question is the asset cost.
What It Would Take
New York has quietly built one of the deeper prospect pipelines in the Eastern Conference, headlined by 2025 first-overall pick and rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
Briere’s asking price is expected to be significant, and whether Darche is willing to part with top-end prospect capital is the central tension in any deal.
The Islanders’ young core is a big reason this season has gone so well, and stripping it too aggressively risks the foundation they have built.
The Bottom Line
The Islanders don’t have to make a move to stay competitive, but Tippett presents an upgrade that could change the way this team attacks.
While New York has also been linked to St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou, Tippett is arguably a better fit for the Islanders long-term. He brings scoring, speed, physicality, and years of control, a rare combination that is even more valuable on a young playoff team.
For a franchise quietly building a contender, missing the chance to add a player like Tippett would be a lost opportunity hard to justify.
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