5 Philadelphia Flyers who could win awards in 2023-24

The Philadelphia Flyers will be anticipating the returns of several key players this season. That, along with some development from their younger players, and a clean bill of health for the others, will make them a much better team this year. So much so that a world where some Flyers win awards this year would not be completely unrealistic.

Sean Couturier – Frank J. Selke Trophy

Sean Couturier is one of a few Flyers who missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season, and he missed the majority of the 2021-22 season as well. The longtime Flyer could have returned sometime in April, but the team decided it would be better to hold him out and keep him fresh for this year.

Couturier now heads into 2023-24 after an extremely long layoff – 663 days between his last regular season game and opening night – and it remains to be seen whether or not he can recapture his old form. In his prime, which was not that long ago, the 30 year old was one of the very best defensive forwards in the NHL, culminating in a Selke Trophy win in the 2019-20 season. Couturier had received Selke votes in every full-ish season he’s played in since 2012-13.

With Patrice Bergeron now retired and out of the picture, the window for Couturier to capture the prestigious award once again is now open wider than ever. Obviously, a lot of that depends on the Phoenix, AZ native’s health, but there does not seem to have been any setbacks with him to this point.

However, the Flyers as a whole will need to be better defensively for Couturier to succeed in this quest. The last time he won, the Flyers were the 10th in the league in goals against, and sixth in the league in goals for; the current roster is a very far cry from that. If more veterans depart Philadelphia, it will make it that much harder for Couturier.

Still, 2022-23’s Selke runner-up Anze Kopitar is not getting any younger. That leaves Couturier’s main competition as Kopitar, the New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier, and the Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov. A second Selke for Couturier is not completely out of the question.

Cam Atkinson – Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Like Couturier, Cam Atkinson missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season. The 12-year NHL veteran had a season-ending neck surgery in December without appearing in any of the Flyers’ games prior to that.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, and Oskar Lindblom (2021) was the last Flyer to win the award. Now at the age of 34 and returning from a significant surgery, Atkinson definitely fits the criteria for this award.

The only season in which Atkinson played for the Flyers to this point was the 2021-22 season, where he sored 23 goals and 50 points in 73 games. To date, those 50 points are the fourth-best mark of his career. At his peak though, the Riverside, CT native was a 40-goal scorer. The Flyers can’t expect Atkinson to do that again at his advanced age following the time he’s missed, but they can expect him to be a leader for the younger guys.

Obviously, without having seen him play or practice recently, it is unclear exactly how much juice Atkinson has left at this point. The winger will turn 35 not long after the 2023-24 season ends and is under contract for the 2024-25 season as well. It’s worth noting that Atkinson has never produced below a 0.50 points-per-game rate in his entire NHL career – that’s a 40-point pace in 11 out of 11 years he’s played.

The Flyers would love Atkinson to continue to play and produce at that level, but they should not hold their breath on that. Still, it’s admirable that he’s healthy enough and determined to play again.

Scott Laughton – King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Despite reportedly being offered a massive package for him, the Flyers elected to keep Scott Laughton, and for good reason. Many Flyers fans believe the veteran should’ve been named team captain last year, and the same can be said for this season too.

Despite being a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Laughton wouldn’t become an NHL regular until 2017-18 – his age 23 season. The Ontario native was never a premier offensive player, and instead had to earn his keep doing the dirty jobs on the ice. In 2022-23, Laughton starred in an expanded role, which resulted in a career-high 18 goals and 43 points. His NHL journey speaks volumes to his character and leadership qualities.

Laughton has been the Flyers’ nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for three consecutive seasons, but has come up empty-handed each time. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community, and the Flyers certainly could not have nominated a better guy than Laughton.

In a statement released by the Flyers earlier this year for Laughton’s latest nomination, the player said:

“It’s a huge honor for myself to be very involved in the community where I was drafted, grown up, and now live.”

Now, Laughton has a chance to make Flyers history. Since the award was conceived in 1988, no Flyers player has ever won it. While the King Clancy is not necessarily something that is or should be competed for, it would be awesome to see Laughton recognized for his leadership and philanthropy.

Tyson Foerster – Calder Memorial Trophy

With the 2023 NHL Draft being such a big part of the Flyers’ future, we’ve spent a lot of time hearing about the Connor Bedards, Adam Fantillis, and Matvei Michkovs of the world. It seems like both Bedard and Fantilli will spend the 2023-24 season with their respective NHL clubs, which would make for a very interesting Calder race.

There will also be competition from players from other drafts, like 2021 fourth-overall pick Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. Still, despite Bedard being the overwhelming favorite for this year’s award, only five first-overall picks have won the Calder since the year 2000. They are: Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Nathan MacKinnon, Aaron Ekblad, and Auston Matthews. That means that players like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nico Hischier, and Steven Stamkos all missed out on the award.

Enter Tyson Foerster, who had an impressive first full season playing pro hockey. In 66 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the 21 year old had 20 goals and 28 assists. In a brief eight-game cameo with the Flyers, Foerster had seven points in eight games. Obviously, the winger will have a ton of competition for minutes with the return of Atkinson, the emergence of Owen Tippett, and Travis Konecny still remaining on the roster. There’s also players like Wade Allison, Garnet Hathaway, and Bobby Brink vying for spots too.

Foerster’s best asset is his shot, and because the Flyers had the worst power play in the NHL, he’ll have plenty of chances to use it. The Flyers will be a much deeper team than last year with Couturier returning and Morgan Frost expected to re-sign, meaning Foerster will have decent linemates to play with.

It would not be a shock at all to see the former Barrie Colts ace outscore Bedard, and if he plays good hockey at both ends of the ice with head coach John Tortorella breathing down his neck, Foerster stands a good chance of winning the Calder this year.