The Philadelphia Flyers are firmly stuck in a position that no team truly wants to be in. With the Olympics going on and weeks away from the NHL resuming again, the Flyers are eight points out of a playoff spot with several teams in competition. But, they aren’t bad enough to truly sink to the bottom for one of the top draft picks this June.

With that in mind, what can they even do as the trade deadline approaches on March 6? Well, it could involve trading Owen Tippett.

On the latest episode of The Chris Johnston Show, NHL insider Chris Johnston was asked if there is any possibility that the Flyers could deal out the 26-year-old winger before the deadline. Tippett’s name has been in trade rumors consistently enough for it to be a viable question, but it’s much more complicated than a non-playoff team just selling off one of their players.

Chris Johnston discusses Flyers’ trade deadline plans involving a potential Owen Tippett trade

Tippett is heavily involved in this Flyers offense and is more than just some rental forward looking to go win a Stanley Cup before hitting free agency. The Peterborough, Ontario native is signed with the Flyers through the 2031-32 season at a very reasonable $6.25-million AAV.

And still, Johnston sees that it could be a sign of something needing to happen for the Flyers.

“It’s a question. I don’t think Philadelphia has fully landed on their direction yet,” Johnston said. “Look, they’re not in a spot where they feel like they have to trade anyone. I do know that. That they want to be growing the roster up but you know, it’s been a tumultuous couple weeks leading into the break. And actually, reflecting on the teams, there might not be many NHL teams who can benefit from the break than Philadelphia, with just some of the smoke billowing around them.

“I don’t know yet which way Philadelphia is going to go. And I don’t think they know which way they’re going to go at this deadline. I’m not suggesting that they’re going to be a big buyer, but to what degree are they going to sell? What do they consider? I’d be surprised if we’re talking about Tippett being moved at the deadline, but I also can’t rule it out entirely because, you know. Clearly part of the reaction to everything that’s gone on is that the expectations have gone up and they have to find a way to take steps forward as an organization. And sometimes to do that, you have to consider moving out players who have been pretty productive for you, too.”

There’s nothing definitive one way or the other, but it’s certainly interesting to hear that the Flyers need to basically decide how much they’re going to sell off this deadline, from a national reporter.

The Flyers don’t have a lot of players who would easily depart this roster in a straight sell job at the trade deadline. There’s the obvious veterans like Garnet Hathaway and Noah Juulsen who most wouldn’t really notice have left the roster, but outside of that and Rasmus Ristolainen getting some interest for some reason, it might be a fairly quiet deadline. That is, of course, unless the Flyers do see this as an opportunity to move Tippett or someone like that.

As Johnston said — while referencing the Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet drama that we saw before the Olympic break — the general expectations surrounding this team have gone up. More and more people are not fine with the roster as it stands and want to see change and upgrades very soon. And while Tippett is certainly a good player in his own right, as someone who can score 20 goals at a minimum, trading him might be a way to do that.

It is a conversation that almost every single Flyers fan has when talking about the future of this team, but it’s a fact that there are too many wingers. With Denver Barkey’s breakout, even if the current roster was fully healthy, there would be too many — and then factor in Porter Martone’s eventual arrival either later this season or this fall at the earliest, and there is an evident logjam. Tippett might just be the perfect candidate to deal, as a winger who has value but also isn’t regarded as a core piece moving forward, who would then bring back the defenseman or center that the Flyers need.

It might not be a decision that the Flyers make as soon as this trade deadline, but it’s a decision they will need to make eventually.