Sean Couturier excited to be with Flyers for next decade

Sean Couturier was drafted by the Flyers back in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He came into the league as an 18-year old. And fast forward 10 seasons later, the now 28-year-old is still putting on a Philadelphia sweater. And after signing his recent eight-year extension, that won’t be stopping any time soon.

Couturier has played, and likely will play, his entire career with the Flyers. Since being drafted, he has never been a free agent. Both of his contract extensions have taken place before the off-season before his final deal concludes. While this recent signing was purposefully done in the summer, according to Chuck Fletcher, Couturier would’ve played the same no matter when he signed the deal.

But having that sense of security for the next eight-nine years doesn’t hurt one bit. Coming together on a fair deal wasn’t a tough thing for the two sides to do. While Couturier obviously wanted to be paid fairly, he also wasn’t looking to break the bank on his next contract. Fletcher wanted to pay his elite center what he was worth as well. In fact, Couturier likely would’ve gotten even more if he somehow made it to free agency next summer.

Like almost everyone else who has spoken about this team, though, there is a huge amount of excitement for what has taken place this summer. The moves to bring in guys like Ryan Ellis and Cam Atkinson along with the signings of guys like Keith Yandle have created a new atmosphere and potential chemistry. That isn’t lost on anyone who has had the opportunity to talk about the moves Fletcher has made recently.

And Couturier can’t wait to be a part of what this team is capable of. He felt this off-season reminded him of when he first came into the league in 2011. The team had just gone through a similar amount of big changes. In fact, the trade of Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets was how Couturier was able to be drafted in the first place. The Flyers traded then captain Mike Richards as well. And they also brought in players like Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr via signings.

“It reminds me a little of my first year when I came in the league. There was a lot of changes with the Flyers, some big names, big stars that were liked in Philly. Richards, Carter got traded and brought in guys…I was part of one of those guys. Jake, Simmer, Schenner. There was a lot of changes, big names left. But a lot of new players came in and there was excitement back then and it feels the same way right now. We lost some big names, some good players but a lot of good players coming here. A lot of excitement, it’s gonna be important for us to get the chemistry going early on and take off as soon as we can.”

A big scorer in juniors, it was actually Couturier’s defensive game that shown first during that first season with the Flyers. He was even earning Selke votes back then. Now it only ended up being two votes, but it was still a sign of things to come later on.

He was being trusted to shut down some of the league’s top players at such a young age. That was even more prevalent during the playoffs when he was tasked with shutting a player like Evgeni Malkin down. He even managed to score his first NHL hat trick in that series as well. It would be the only points he registered during two rounds, but it was only the beginning.

Look ahead to 2021 and Couturier has that elusive Selke Trophy under his belt. He also has 174 goals and 443 points as well. That offensive game of his finally broke out during the 2017-18 season when he scored 31 goals and registered 76 points. He was truly becoming a dominant two-way center. And Couturier didn’t hesitate to credit the Philadelphia fan base for allowing him to become that player.

“Since I’ve came to Philly at 18-years old, now I’m 28. Fans always treated me really well and let me grow into the player and the person I am. I have a lot of respect for them and it seems to be the same for them for me. I’m just happy to get this deal done and try to help this team win and bring a championship to Philly.”

With a wife and now a daughter as well, Couturier will have the opportunity to give his family security for likely the rest of his career. It can’t get any better than that.