Rookie Profile: Sean Couturier

We’re currently in the midst of Weber Watch right now, so as fans are all biting their nails to see what Nashville is going to do, some rumors have been spreading on what the team is going to give up to get the much needed strong defensemen. Holmgren was willing to five up FOUR first round draft picks, but it has recently come to light that in the initial offer the Flyers general manager was willing to give up Matt Read, Andreji Mezaros, a first round pick, two second round picks and a third round pick. This was denied by The Predators, before Weber signed the offer sheet with the Flyers.

Now since we are all waiting to see if we can get Weber, speculation about how the deal might go down have been surfacing. Mostly on twitter. Will the Flyers give up some of our top rookies like Brayden Schenn or Sean Couturier? Manayunk Mike is saying that Coots will more likely be moved, if either of the two go, but it is doubtful.  So what’s my reason for regurgitating all of this news that Flyers fans probably already know? To talk about breakout rookie Sean Couturier.

Couturier is Canadian like most hockey players, but he is actually American-Born. The interesting thing about him is that his Dad is a former NHL player too, which only means that hockey must be in the kid’s blood. Before coming to the Flyers, he played a season for the Notre Dame Midget Hounds, then he had three seasons with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and even played in the World Juniors for Team Canada.

Unlike other kids that are drafted with the Flyers, Couturier did not play a season in the AHL with the Phantoms.  He started his NHL career with the team that drafted him. With the competitive market that is professional hockey, that is a rare and impressive thing to do. He is already a household name for the Philadelphia Flyers. He may not be as high on the stats as fellow rookie Matt Read, but the 19 year old has done well for himself. He’s been active on the ice with 13 goals, 14 assists, 27 points all and has played in 77 games of an 82 game season. That’s pretty impressive for a kid just drafted into the franchise. He’s been there at the crease trying to help the team score wins, and has even scored the game winning goals four times this season.

When he first got drafted, I don’t think a lot of people were expecting him to do as well as he did, but he has since proved himself and his potential.  Coots does have room to improve his game and I hope he can do this while wearing black and orange.  The obvious way is by getting in some more goals. Goals mean wins, and Philadelphia needs as much as we can get as we are racing towards the cup yet again.  The other way to improve his game is to bulk up. We need bigger bodies to defend the ice. I realize that he’s a center and not a defenseman, but it is possible to have a defensive forward, and the Flyers blueline right now needs all the help it can get.

All in all, Sean Couturier’s future in the NHL looks pretty bright. It’s only his first year and already he’s shown us what moves he can make on the ice. Which just means that there is more to come as he develops further with the Flyers organization. Looking at the numbers alone, I can’t really foresee Holmgren wanting to give him up, but I’m biting my tongue though, because when it comes to getting a defensemen like Weber, it’s going to come with a price.

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