When John Tortorella took over as head coach of the Flyers in 2022, he didn't name a captain for his new team. Claude Giroux had been traded away a few months before, and the new coach didn't rush to have a captain. The Flyers went without a captain only once in franchise history. It was when, interestingly enough, team captain Rick Tocchet had been traded to Pittsburgh for Mark Recchi. The team waited a full season before naming Kevin Dineen as captain.
So, when Tortorella took over, he put an "A" on the sweater of Scott Laughton for a year. However, he wouldn't go so far as to name in as team captain. Then in February 2014, Sean Couturier got the honor. He'd been a leader, on the ice and in the locker room, back when Giroux was the team captain. It just took a season and a half for Tortorella to confer it on him.
Then he was benched a few weeks later. In a move that stunned Flyers fans everywhere, especially since the team was potentially in a playoff race, the captain had been a healthy scratch. Before that, he had spent time on the bench a few times, missing shifts, because the coach said so. The benching started a rift that would, in time, cause a total collapse of the team.
The Pre-Tortorella Era
Couturier has been around so long now, we kind of forget how long it has been. He was the eighth overall pick in 2011. Out of the six selections drafted by the Flyers that year, only Couturier and third-round pick Nick Cousins advanced to the NHL. If not for Couturier, this could be one of the worst drafts in team history.
Couturier made his debut that season as a 19-year-old, scoring 11 goals with 14 assists, finishing ninth in the Calder Trophy voting. Matt Read, another rookie, finished fourth in voting that season. Couturier was part of a team in transition after having lost the Stanley Cup two years ago. Current GM Daniel Briere was still a teammate of his, as was Jaromir Jagr. However, Couturier was part of a young corps of Flyers coming up.
As the 2010s continued, you saw a gradual growth in him. It seemed as if he could do it all. In 2017-18, he finished second in the Selke Trophy voting to Anze Kopitar. Two years later, he claimed the trophy for himself. He was seen as the best defensive-minded forward who wasn't Patrice Bergeron. He was, and continues to be, one of the best faceoff men in the league.
Twice (2017-18 and 2018-19), he topped 30 goals. As of right now, he has 543 career points, which is good for 12th all-time in Flyers history (Rod Brind'Amour is next up at 601). He is fourth in games played at 874. He should crack 900 games and pass Bill Barber (903) for third all-time. In another year, he should pass Claude Giroux for second.
Then he got hurt. He had just signed an eight-year, $62 million contract extension in August of 2021 that would carry him through the 2020s. But during the 2021-22 season, he dealt with nagging injuries that limited him to just 29 games, only scoring six goals. It started with a puck to the face, a wrist injury, and then back surgery. The problems with the back wouldn't go away, and he ended up, surprisingly, missing the entire 2022-23 season. He wanted to come back near the tail end of the season, but Tortorella wanted him ready to go for the next season.
The Return
Two years back, you could tell he was a changed player. He's not what he was. He's a bit slower, but he can still perform. He's scored 11 and 15 goals, respectively, but still has a 54.7 faceoff percentage. That's solid and far better than anyone else on this team. His 56.1% was good for 18th this year, with Giroux leading the way at 61.5%.
The healthy scratches and benchings took a toll on the warrior, however. It caused a rift with the player that everyone in the locker room respected. Couturier silently took it, but eventually admitted that he felt sidelined. He was sometimes relegated to third-line duties and taken off the power play.
His 17:18 minutes of ice time was the lowest since his rookie season, as there was a stretch during January was he was barely on the ice for 10-14 minutes. For a guy who's given it all to this franchise, that was disrespectful. Interestingly enough, once Torts was fired, Couturier was back to playing 18-20 minutes a game, and his point totals began to increase.
So what now? With a new head coach and some optimism heading into the new season, Couturier can turn the page a bit. He'll never be what he once was. It's going to be hard for someone who'll turn 33 in December to turn back the clock like that. But he is still valuable.
He still can win faceoffs and do all the intangible things that need to be done in order to make a team successful. He can be a mentor for younger players on the rise, like Jack Nesbitt and Jett Luchanko, on what it takes to be here for 15 years.
More importantly, Couturier has a real chance to close out his career as a Flyer; something Giroux didn't. His contract is up at the end of the 2029-30 season. He will go down as one of the all-time great Flyers. We are lucky to still see him perform for a few more seasons. Maybe being coached by another Flyers legend will help him in the years to come.