Flyers captain Sean Couturier felt “pushed aside” by John Tortorella

Flyers captain Sean Couturier expanded a bit on his relationship (or lack thereof) with former head coach John Tortorella during the team’s exit interviews Friday. Couturier says he felt disappointed by the season, but never quite specifically understood what axe Tortorella had to grind with the veteran center.

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When asked what the new Flyers head coach should be like in regards to having a relationship with the players, Couturier didn’t mince words about his previous coach.

“I just felt at times I was getting pushed aside,” Couturier said regarding his time with Tortorella. “I didn’t know the reason or maybe wouldn’t agree with the explanations that were given to me. But whoever the coach is doesn’t matter. We just need to be all in together. I’m not too worried about the guys that we have, everyone has bought in. We have a great group of guys that stick together and stick up for one another. We’re tight. As much as this year’s been tough I’m proud. I can say about this group nobody is pointing fingers, guys are still playing hard for each other and want the best out of each other. I think that’s the thing that we need to keep building on moving forward.”

Couturier also said he wasn’t sure if Tortorella was attempting to phase out the captain or possibly end up running him out of town, similar to his dealings with former Flyer Morgan Frost. But he knew something wasn’t quite gelling.

“Yeah if you look at the minutes and stuff, it tells you how I was kind of maybe being pushed aside,” Couturier said. “It is what it is. I didn’t agree with the way I was getting pushed aside but I was just trying to not be a distraction and keep my mouth shut. Put in the extra effort to get back to where I should be.”

The player reiterated his stance replying to another question. It wasn’t a secret something was amiss between player and coach. From the two-game healthy scratchings after being named captain to seeing his ice time dwindled to fourth-line minutes, Couturier knew his style of game didn’t mesh perfectly with Tortorella’s attacking, speedy style. “I think if you look at the way he wanted us to play, it was fast, speed, quick on pucks. Maybe it’s not fully my type of game if you look at my career. I was never the fastest guy but I still found a way to be the first on the puck. I don’t know honestly. It is what it is.

“A lot of it is on me too at times I needed to play better. But it’s behind us now and we’re moving forward. So whoever is here we’ll be doing whatever we can to get back in the winning column and getting back into the playoffs.”

Elsewhere, Couturier also said that losing players like Scott Laughton, Erik Johnson, Morgan Frost, and Joel Farabee this year resulted in some of the younger players stepping more into a leadership role. He was particularly impressed with center Noah Cates after the deadline.

“I think we saw on the ice guys like Foerster, Brink, their game took a step forward,” he said. “Cates, he’s been good all year. But off the ice I think he’s been involved in some leadership group meetings and is embracing that role. He’s more of a quiet guy the way he leads by example and gets himself ready for games and practices. There’s nothing to worry about him, so he’s can rub off on some younger guys the way he goes about his business. He’s another guy but those three I think are a big part of our future.

Couturier also felt that he dealt with the season and the physical and mental demands better this season than he did in 2023-24, coming off surgeries that essentially put him out for two seasons. “I think it was more mentally, I knew what to expect more,” he said. “Last year it almost felt like every week some little nagging injury, it’s almost like I forgot what it is to go through an 82-game season. The grind of it. I think my body was definitely more ready to take the hits this year.”

As for his linemates in Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny — one of the steadier line combinations the Flyers had parts of the year — Couturier said he felt the line needs to iron some kinks out in their own zone. “They’re two exciting players to play with, to create some offense,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s more fun playing defensive. I want to score too, I want to make plays. I think it’s just finding a balance of being on the same page, all three of us. We create some chances, but I think we have to clean some things up defensively and not give up as much. I think that’s something we can work on together and be better at.”

Couturier is hoping that the first few years of his career, where the Flyers made the playoffs, end up being similar as he gets up in years for a NHL player. A lifelong Flyer, Couturier is hoping the rebuild evolves to where the team is not just vying for a playoff spot but hoping to go deep into the post-season.

“I’m going into every year trying to win, make the playoffs and win the last game of the year. It’s been tough these last couple of years. I don’t have as many years as there used to be. I don’t want to say the clock is ticking but I want to win before I’m done playing. Hopefully we can turn this around quick and get back into contention mode where this organization deserves to be.”

The Philadelphia athlete who’s currently been with his professional team the longest, Couturier had 15 goals and 30 points for a respectable 45 points this year. He was also on the good side of the plus-minus with a +1. It marked the first time he was on the plus side since 2019-20 when he was +21.