Photo Credit: Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
A 30-year-old standout in Sean Couturier has proved to the entire league that he’s a force to be reckoned with, when healthy. That’s just it went healthy as he hasn’t suited up in the game since December 3, 2020 against the Ottawa Senators. Coots is the heart and soul of this young Flyers team, and without his services it really depletes this team down the middle. There was no doubt he was the MVP of the team in 2020-21, and it might be because is no stranger to playing through pain.
He has been recently skating, and that’s pretty much the only update that anyone to include John Tortorella can provide at this time, although it doesn’t sound promising for a return this season, “No (To playing this season), haven’t even thought about it,” Tortorella said after Couturier had another day of skating on the rehab ice.
“No (To playing this season), haven’t even thought about it.” – John Tortorella
Couturier played through a torn in MCL in games five and six versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018 playoffs, and he mustered four goals and two assists in those aforementioned games. Unfortunately, he had back revisionary surgery on October 27 in Dallas, Texas, and he will be out three to four months (February/March return), “They went into the same area, and did work on the same area,” said Flyers’General Manager Chuck Fletcher. “We are still hopeful he can come back and play.”
“Hopefully this brings relief for Sean on the return to play protocol. At least there is some clarity on a timeline.” – Chuck Fletcher
As Fletcher alluded two above, at least there was a clear understanding of when he could possibly return or not. That’s much better than saying he’s week to week, or day-to-day. Yes, this is a setback, but hopefully things have gotten ironed out this go around. For those that forget, he was considered week to week approximately two weeks before Training Camp. Then in mid-october he said he was feeling great and skating, unfortunately he suffered this setback soon thereafter and could not skate.
Coots missed a large part of last season, which turned out to be a season ending injury. He underwent successful back surgery and wound up missing the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign. Couturier was sidelined from December 29 and has yet toi play a meaningful hockey game since. It was labeled as an ‘Upper-body” injury by the Flyers, but Couturier ended up having surgery to not further delay his possible return.
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Accountability will be a missing element from Couturier on and off the ice. This was a strong word that was used for the Flyers before the 2022-23 season began. Couturier is no stranger to holding himself accountable, and that rubs off on his teammates, as well.
Couturier plays in all situations and does them well. The Flyers closed the first month of the season out with a 5-2-1 record, but most knew this wasn’t sustainable without the services of Couturier and Cam Atkinson for an extended period of time, and of of course now their best play driving forward in Travis Konecny.
Speaking of Travis Konecny, the only update John Tortorella had on him was that he was skating. He was also skating with Couturier on the rehab ice yesterday at practice. No one really knows the nature of his injury, nor the extent of it. Maybe he’s rehabbing for next season, much like Couturier, as Tortorella alluded to above without talking to the trainers and doctors.
Let’s see where all this goes, and not preemptively jump to conclusions.
