Injury Report: Sean Couturier back injuries/surgeries beginning Sept. 2022; missed entire 2022-23 season

[Ironmanrulez]

I certainly cannot assume he will pick up where he left off. But he's always been very adaptable due to his fantastic hockey IQ, so however it is his body works going forward, he will find out how to get the most out of it. I expect he will be very good when he gets things figured out. But it could easily take a long time.

Maybe he can be the Center of a shutdown line.
Cates-Couts- ?

We dont need him to be a top 10 Center next year cause we will not content for anything. Let him play besides Cates so the young solid dplayer can learn a lot from Couts. Let them play vs other toplines. Give Frost the 2nd line Center role with konency for example or with tippet and let them get easier opponents so we can see if they can score.

3rd line with Laughton or someone else.

We want a good pick next year but we also want to play a more offensive hockey style. If Cates is still the Center next year nothing has changed.

 

[Rebels57]

I certainly cannot assume he will pick up where he left off. But he's always been very adaptable due to his fantastic hockey IQ, so however it is his body works going forward, he will find out how to get the most out of it. I expect he will be very good when he gets things figured out. But it could easily take a long time.

Landing Bedard or Fantilli would take so much pressure off of Coots. Would no longer have to be the 1C workhorse for the Flyers to have some kind of success.

Bedard/Fantilli
Couturier
Frost
Cates

Down the middle would be a great foundation.

 

[deadhead]

Laughton is more of an offensive player than Cates?
Laughton isn't a center, outside the 4th line.
Cates on the other hand, has made solid progress as the year has progressed.

Next year, Couts, Frost, Cates, Desnoyers as your centers
2024-25, Couts, Frost, Cates/Gauthier, Desnoyers
They'll monitor Gauthier's progress next season, and that will determine if he stays at center.
And they'll probably try to add another playmaking center in the draft or as a prospect in a trade.

If Couts is 100%, he's the 1C.
If Couts isn't 100%, finding a 1C becomes a top priority in the near future, Frost has a good chance to develop into a solid 2C, but I'd be pleasantly surprised if he turned out to be a 1C.

Couts doesn't have to play as many minutes as he used to, with Frost and Cates at center, and the move to speed at forward on the PK, you could keep him down to 17-18 minutes a night instead of 20+.

 

[Curufinwe]

Laughton is more of an offensive player than Cates?
Laughton isn't a center, outside the 4th line.

Laughton has played center in the top 9 regularly over the past five seasons. And now that he's cracked 40 points, your fantasy of him going to the back to the 4th line like it's 2017 looks even more ludicrous.

A Cates-Laughton-Whoever line would be just as good as a Laughton-Cates-Whoever one. Forcing Cates to play down the middle and lose 60% of his faceoffs is not actually necessary. Just like playing 2 dmen in OT isn't necessary. They are just ideas that Tyrannosaurus Torts came up with, and is too inflexible to change.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Laughton is more of an offensive player than Cates?
Laughton isn't a center, outside the 4th line.
Cates on the other hand, has made solid progress as the year has progressed.

Next year, Couts, Frost, Cates, Desnoyers as your centers
2024-25, Couts, Frost, Cates/Gauthier, Desnoyers
They'll monitor Gauthier's progress next season, and that will determine if he stays at center.
And they'll probably try to add another playmaking center in the draft or as a prospect in a trade.

If Couts is 100%, he's the 1C.
If Couts isn't 100%, finding a 1C becomes a top priority in the near future, Frost has a good chance to develop into a solid 2C, but I'd be pleasantly surprised if he turned out to be a 1C.

Couts doesn't have to play as many minutes as he used to, with Frost and Cates at center, and the move to speed at forward on the PK, you could keep him down to 17-18 minutes a night instead of 20+.

Tortorella has demanded more grinders next year. If Briere really is dumb enough to think like him, they're going to be purging yet more skill, not adding it. Desnoyers wouldn't be on the team, and it's very possible they ditch Frost too. The nightmare scenario is zeroing in on the exact kind of roster Tortorella wants, and that may very well happen.

 

[CraigsList]

Is he going to be good to go for the upcoming season?

 

[Striiker]

If you’re actually rebuilding, this is the guy you try to trade.

 

[FlyerNutter]

All 7.75 million of him.

Handzus 2.0

 

[DancingPanther]

If you’re actually rebuilding, this is the guy you try to trade.

And TK

 

[Magua]

It’s a catch-22 with trading Coots. In order for him to be tradable with his giant contract, and help the rebuild, he needs to have a productive season(s). But if he has a productive season(s), the team might not want to trade him, further not helping the rebuild.

He also has a full NMC. Forget any sort of value in return, even if he rebounds, which is still best case.

 

[Fire Tortorella]

Couturier is going to be a Salt Lake City or Houston Coyote in 3 seasons.

 

[Striiker]

And TK

And especially Laughton

 

[deadhead]

If Couts is 100%, he's the kind of veteran you want to keep through a rebuild.

 

[Deadpool8812]

Is he going to be good to go for the upcoming season?

He was cleared to return at the end of last season

 

[TCTC]

Couturier is going to be a Salt Lake City or Houston Coyote in 3 seasons.

That wouldn't be right. Honestly, I think Couturier should be a Flyer as long as he wants to. He signed a hometown discount trusting in Fletcher to build a team that can compete.
I know at the end of the day it's a business, but you should do right by your homegrown players that spend their entire prime with the franchise and left money on the table.

 

[DancingPanther]

That wouldn't be right. Honestly, I think Couturier should be a Flyer as long as he wants to. He signed a hometown discount trusting in Fletcher to build a team that can compete.
I know at the end of the day it's a business, but you should do right by your homegrown players that spend their entire prime with the franchise and left money on the table.

Nah, trade him at the deadline if he players well

 

[Chicken N Raffls]

Nah, trade him at the deadline if he players well

I don't know if this deadline is when you get the best value for him, and there's the NMC, but he doesn't fit the long term plan. I also think you can make the argument that that would also be doing right by your player. Let him play on a team that has an actual shot at winning before he turns 35.

 

[TheKingPin]

If you’re actually rebuilding, this is the guy you try to trade.

Yup. Him and Hart. You can turn this team to a bottom 2 team that way.

That wouldn't be right. Honestly, I think Couturier should be a Flyer as long as he wants to. He signed a hometown discount trusting in Fletcher to build a team that can compete.
I know at the end of the day it's a business, but you should do right by your homegrown players that spend their entire prime with the franchise and left money on the table.

He got a great deal given the term. He deserved it, but his term is great for him.

 

[TCTC]

He got a great deal given the term. He deserved it, but his term is great for him.

It's not a bad contract for him (especially considering the uncertainties regarding his health now), but he could've gotten much more as a UFA. He even said he worked with Fletcher to help the team and the cap situation.

 

[DancingPanther]

I don't know if this deadline is when you get the best value for him, and there's the NMC, but he doesn't fit the long term plan. I also think you can make the argument that that would also be doing right by your player. Let him play on a team that has an actual shot at winning before he turns 35.

Okay, I'll actually not shit post for once. Point about maximizing value is an absolutely fair one, especially in the wake of Fletcher who did the opposite that his entire tenure here. However, in the case of the Flyers right now the biggest " trade ship " they have is to just be awful. Be awful to maximize an influx of top of the draft talent during the time Michkov is still in Russia.

This isn't to say trade him to anyone that'll take him out of desperation for little return, but I don't think it's prudent for the Flyers to spin their wheels waiting/hoping he plays well or keeps playing well in an effort to inflate a trade value balloon that could potentially pop one out or the next in Couts' specific situation. To make things simple, A perfect world sees coots' time as a flyer come to a close within the next 2 trade deadlines if he has any legitimate value at all

The obvious flip side to this is between the injury history, contract, and no movement clause a trade market could very well be non-existent. I get that. So keep that in mind whenever I shit post about trading everybody right now

I used a lot of speech to text here so if there's any funny spellings or anything blame that

 

[Flyerfan4life]

That wouldn't be right. Honestly, I think Couturier should be a Flyer as long as he wants to. He signed a hometown discount trusting in Fletcher to build a team that can compete.
I know at the end of the day it's a business, but you should do right by your homegrown players that spend their entire prime with the franchise and left money on the table.

i remember reading a interview with Cooter were he said he wasnt onboard with a rebuild when he signed his new 8 year deal...

well low n behold here we are.

sucks to be him

 

[Chicken N Raffls]

Okay, I'll actually not shit post for once. Point about maximizing value is an absolutely fair one, especially in the wake of Fletcher who did the opposite that his entire tenure here. However, in the case of the Flyers right now the biggest " trade ship " they have is to just be awful. Be awful to maximize an influx of top of the draft talent during the time Michkov is still in Russia.

This isn't to say trade him to anyone that'll take him out of desperation for little return, but I don't think it's prudent for the Flyers to spin their wheels waiting/hoping he plays well or keeps playing well in an effort to inflate a trade value balloon that could potentially pop one out or the next in Couts' specific situation. To make things simple, A perfect world sees coots' time as a flyer come to a close within the next 2 trade deadlines if he has any legitimate value at all

The obvious flip side to this is between the injury history, contract, and no movement clause a trade market could very well be non-existent. I get that. So keep that in mind whenever I shit post about trading everybody right now

I used a lot of speech to text here so if there's any funny spellings or anything blame that

Yea completely agree about finishing as close to the bottom as possible is most important right now. It's why I want TK gone sooner than later, and if that rumored 1st+2nd for Laughton was legit, that's a big whiff for Briere. I don't see how you could think you can get more for him. I do think it will be more complicated for Couts with the contract and injuries, but the effort should still be made. And from his standpoint, if he wants a chance for a Cup, he should realize it's not going to happen here.

 

[BernieParent]

My 2¢ is that Couturier is the player with whom Brière should be having ongoing conversations about the state of the team and what Couturier wants to do. If he is the veteran and mentor for the next several years, I am good with that. But with a mostly healthy Couturier, there is no need to keep bringing in "veteran presence" UFAs, at least forwards. Just play the kids.

 

[Fire Tortorella]

That wouldn't be right. Honestly, I think Couturier should be a Flyer as long as he wants to. He signed a hometown discount trusting in Fletcher to build a team that can compete.
I know at the end of the day it's a business, but you should do right by your homegrown players that spend their entire prime with the franchise and left money on the table.

It's more so that I don't believe someone who hasn't played in 2 years due to back injuries and is on the wrong side of 30 is going to come back and be a healthy and effective player for a considerable amount of time.

 

[deadhead]

When you rebuild, you want a couple anchor veterans to hold the team together while young players develop.
Those veterans need to be true mentors more than elite talents.
Couts is exactly what you'd want, a center who raises the game of most of his wings, and will be a guy that can help young players adjust to the NHL.

What you don't want is a chaotic situation with no anchor veterans where talented youngsters struggle for a few years, then end up elsewhere to get it together.