According to a data model developed by Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier has one of the 10 worst contracts in the entire NHL, coming in at No. 7.
Couturier, 31, signed an eight-year, $62 million contract ($7.75 million AAV) on Aug. 26, 2021, but dealt with a number of back issues early on in the 2021-22 season. Couturier subsequently was announced to have undergone back surgery on Feb. 11, 2022, after non-invasive treatment options failed to treat the Flyers captain’s issues.
But, as it turned out, that didn’t work either.
Couturier underwent a second surgery in October 2022, and though the veteran center was able to push for a return to the ice at the end of the season, the Flyers swiftly shut the door on the possibility.
One season back on the ice later, here we are.
Writes Luszczyszyn, “For now, Couturier is a fine shutdown second-line center, but that’s not enough for how much he’s being paid. It’s a real shame for Couturier, who looked like he would have no trouble living up to this deal when he signed it. At the time it looked right on the money. Injuries severely derailed his trajectory to this current point, though, and the hope is that he can still bounce back after getting back up to speed last season. Some positive shooting percentage regression could help a lot here.”
Although the 31-year-old indeed returned to the ice full-time in the 2023-24 season and played in 74 of 82 games, injuries once again came back to bite Couturier. That is undoubtedly playing a part in where Couturier falls amongst his peers, especially those on the list with him.
We recently learned that the 6-foot-4 forward successfully underwent an offseason procedure to repair a sports hernia, something that Couturier was apparently afflicted by and played through during the season. Flyers teammate Jamie Drysdale recently resumed skating after having the same operation, and it’s no surprise that both players experienced sharp declines in their skating and ability to produce offense.
Couturier, who has six seasons left on his contract, is unlikely to return to being the 30-goal, 70-point force that he became just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, though a lousy, injury-laden second half probably prevented him from having a 50-point comeback campaign last season.
For example, Couturier only managed to pick up three assists over his final 19 games, and even worse is that he scored only two goals after the turn of the new year. In total, that’s just two goals, 13 assists, and 15 points over Couturier’s final 40 games of the 2023-24 season.
We know that the Flyers‘ captain is still elite defensively, but now the onus is on him to show that the offense and durability are still there, too.
