Photo Credit: Our very own Shaylah Rice
At the forefront of the many themes and storylines surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers organization is the newly appointed captain of the team Sean Couturier being healthy scratched for two pivotal games last week.
The initial scratch came on Tuesday, March 19th. The Flyers were set to take on one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Maple Leafs. They managed to secure a 4-3 victory without their captain.
This was the first time a captain of an NHL team has been scratched since Ed Jovanovski back in 2014 by the Florida Panthers.
Head coach John Tortorella proceeded to send another message to Couturier and the Flyers as a whole by scratching him for a second straight game.
The Flyers played the Hurricanes on March 21st. The team continued to respond well and controlled play for large stretches in their matchup against the Hurricanes despite the overtime loss.
Couturier then returned to the lineup after consecutive healthy scratches with the Flyers set to play the Boston Bruins, a team they haven’t defeated since October, 20th, 2021.
The veteran center played with Noah Cates and Olle Lycksell and the line had a 72 percent corsi for rating. They were in the offensive zone for the majority of their shifts and had a significant territorial advantage when on the ice.
When dissecting how the team responded to their captain getting scratched for two straight games it’s apparent that although this was unexpected it worked out positively for Philadelphia.
Personally, I did not agree with willingly removing Sean Couturier from the lineup for two games during the midst of a playoff race.
He simply was not the Flyers worst forward on the ice in the weeks leading up to the decision and from my perspective did not deserve to be scratched.
However, when looking at his offensive production the forward only produced one goal in the last 20 games and a total of six points before John Tortorella decided to scratch his captain.
Even though Couturier received limited minutes and played a fourth line role through a majority of the Flyers recent games the fact he was not producing to the standard that is typically expected of the center is why he was scratched. As a result, it’s understandable why Couturier did eventually get scratched.
The primary concern with the Flyers going this route especially after the initial comments of frustration from the veteran forward, was the potential of causing a disruption to the cohesive locker room the team currently has. This could have deteriorated the relationship between John Tortorella and Sean Couturier to the point of no return.
Instead it’s appeared to have had the complete opposite effect. Not only have the Flyers rebounded and collected five of eight possible points in their last four games before Couturier was first scratched. But, the captain of the team and coach Tortorella seem to have moved past the situation.
After the Flyers defeated the Bruins, Couturier stated the following in regards to being scratched for two games:
“It’s behind me now. I don’t really want to talk about it. I just want to help the team.”
Based on Couturier’s sentiments the benching is something in the past the Flyers captain is ready to move on from.
Were fatigue and injury contributors to scratching Couturier?
Aside from lack of production one other reason that might have factored into the decision to scratch Couturier was the reset this would provide for the centerman. The fact Couturier has looked gassed on the ice since the New Year after not playing for 2 seasons and has dealt with injuries, might have swayed Tortorella to scratch him.
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere recently joined Snow The Goalie’s press row show before the Flyers matchup taking on the Bruins. He provided some insight in relation to Couturier’s fatigue and confirmed he was even playing through injuries earlier this season:
“You go back to early in the season, Sean was missing some practices here and there. It wasn’t just to recuperate from playing 22 minutes, he was really banged up. I think at one point there were five different injuries he was dealing with and he was still playing.”
“Sean plays hard and we were asking a lot of him. So hopefully this is just a little reset and this gives him the chance to refocus a little bit. We’re going to need him, there’s no doubt about that, we’re going to need him, down the stretch and in the playoffs when we get in.”
Briere’s comments point to a coaching staff that relied on Couturier in all situations earlier this season. The ice time he was given is indicative of that.
It’s evident such usage wore the player down. Since his return there seems to be more energy in his game. Fatigue and injury likely aren’t the sole reasons Couturier was scratched but it may have had an effect.
What’s Next for the Philadelphia Flyers
With the Flyers 4-1 loss taking on the Panthers despite not continuing their point streak, the team played a strong game from an underlying process perspective.
They only allowed 15 shots on goal from one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the NHL while putting up 33 shots on net. Philadelphia also outchanced Florida and created 17 high danger scoring chances compared to the opposition’s six.
Although they did not get the intended result the play on the ice was strong. This has been the constant for the Flyers since John Tortorella scratched captain Sean Couturier.
Philadelphia’s overall play and underlying process has completely turned around. Specifically, from a defensive standpoint the Flyers have been much improved.
As the stretch drive to the playoffs proceed, Philadelphia will have to to continue playing strong hockey in order to secure a playoff spot. Currently, the Flyers sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 81 points. Only two points ahead of their division rival Washington Capitals that have 79 points.
One thing to monitor as the final 10 games play out for the Flyers is the usage of Sean Couturier. In the loss to the Panthers the captain was on the ice for only 10 minutes and 30 seconds.
It will be interesting to see if John Tortorella continues to use the veteran center in a fourth line role to close out the season, or if he starts to rely on him in a greater capacity.
Ultimately, scratching the Flyers captain was a move made to jump start the roster’s lackluster play that was beginning to creep into their identity as a team.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
