Sean Couturier is turning back the clock for the resurgent Philadelphia Flyers

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
Sean Couturier is turning back the clock for the resurgent Philadelphia Flyers
Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Entering this season, nobody really knew how Sean Couturier would fare after missing all of 2022–23 (and most of the previous year) while recovering from a pair of back surgeries.

Couturier hadn’t played an NHL game since December of 2021. He’d been through an arduous and painful rehab process that lasted nearly two full years. And although he was given a clean bill of health well in advance of the Flyers’ 2023–24 season opener, it was up in the air whether Couturier would still be the same player.

Well, here’s the thing. Injury problems aside, Couturier just isn’t quite as good as he used to be. From 2017–18 to 2020–21, generally considered his peak years, Couturier was right up there with Patrice Bergeron and Anze Kopitar as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. Couturier even won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2020.

That’s a high bar to reach (or clear) for any player — especially someone like Couturier, who just turned 31 in December. But even someone 80 percent as good as peak Couturier would still be one hell of a player.

That’s exactly what Couturier is right now.

It’s absolutely no accident that the Flyers’ rapid ascent up the NHL standings has directly coincided with Couturier’s return to the lineup. He’s already been more than worth his $7.75 million cap hit in his first year back with the team. Couturier won’t win the Selke this season but he absolutely should get a few votes. He’s earning it more and more with each passing game.

Couturier has a respectable 10 goals and 27 points through his first 38 games with the Flyers this year. That puts him on pace for a solid 57-point season — but he profiles even better under the hood.

With Couturier on the ice at 5-on-5 this year, the Flyers have outscored their opponents 33-23. That’s not an aberration whatsoever. Via Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers have controlled 57.04 percent of the shots, 60.58 percent of the high-danger chances, and 56.91 percent of the expected goals in Couturier’s 535:55 of 5-on-5 ice time. The veteran forward ranks at or near the top of the Flyers’ lineup in each category.

Naturally, Couturier is one of the least sheltered players on the Flyers. John Tortorella throws him to the wolves on a nightly basis. He has the second-lowest share of offensive zone starts on the team this year and still has some of the strongest defensive results in the league.

Oh, and he’s an imposing 6’4″ center who dominates in the faceoff dot and has some of the keenest instincts around the net of any player on the planet. He’s a machine.

Remember, this is an iteration of Couturier who is actively fighting back against standard NHL aging curves while also still finding his footing after nearly two full years away from the game. The fact he’s been this impactful despite all the obstacles he’s had to overcome is flat-out staggering.

Even so, it’s tough to imagine Couturier (or anyone else) getting past Aleksander Barkov for the Selke this year. But regardless of whether the Flyers end up making the playoffs, Couturier has to be one of the frontrunners for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. It requires unbelievable perseverance to be able to perform at this high a level after such a long recovery.

The Flyers desperately need Couturier to maintain his current pace. He’s in only the second season of an eight-year contract he signed with Philadelphia back in 2021. Having that deal on the books until 2030 didn’t look great when Couturier missed the first year of that deal, but it seems a whole lot better now.

Then there’s the whole situation with Cutter Gauthier, who is no longer waiting in the wings in Philadelphia after being traded to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. The Flyers originally drafted Gauthier with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022. He may not have Couturier’s two-way upside, but the 19-year-old is a high-scoring forward who can play both center and wing. And now, he’s gone.

Until the Flyers can add another prospective top-six center through the draft, Couturier will have to be the guy to continue ushering along the likes of Morgan Frost, Tyson Foester, and eventually Matvei Michkov. Couturier is a strong candidate — maybe the only candidate — to eventually fill the Flyers’ vacant captain position. If the World Cup of Hockey took place today, Couturier would be an ideal pick to play a third- or fourth-line role for Team Canada.

It’s been an incredible return to form for someone who was one of the most underrated players in the entire National Hockey League throughout the 2010s. Couturier deserves far more recognition for what he’s been doing this season. If he keeps this up, he’ll get it in spades.

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