When Sean Couturier signed an eight-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2021, it was supposed to mark a new era of leadership, where a player who had once been a fresh-faced eighth-overall pick would be fully stepping into his own as the player young guys could look up to and learn from.
However, in February of 2022, the Flyers announced that Couturier had received back surgery that would make him miss the rest of the 2021-22 season, along with the entirety of the 2022-23 season. Things were starting to spiral, and questions arose over whether or not Couturier would even be able to play hockey again.
He did make a full return to the Flyers during the 2023-24 season but, unsurprisingly, his playing wasn't at the level fans were used to seeing. Totaling just 38 points across 74 games, it was evident that Couturier was still overcoming the after-effects of such a serious surgery.
Despite the disappointing stats, he was named captain in February 2024, a move that many fans speculated would've been made earlier if Couturier had been fully healthy (instead, the Flyers went without an official captain, with alternate captain Scott Laughton carrying out leadership responsibilities).
Being given the C didn't stop head coach John Tortorella from healthy scratching Couturier late in the 23-24 season, a move that caused widespread controversy and debate across the NHL. It seemingly cemented the idea that while he's an important and respected figure in the organization, his days of being a vital part of the offense were coming to an end.
It would've happened eventually, considering the fact that the Flyers' front office have made it known that the younger players will take on more central roles in the team during the rebuild, but unless GM Danny Briere can package him in a trade (which doesn't seem all that likely), Couturier is staring down some truly make-or-break circumstances in the 2024-25 campaign.
He still showed flashes of just how good he is throughout the season, and coming off another summer of rest and recovery, Couturier could easily come into the new season looking more invigorated and NHL-ready. Not to mention, there's a possibility that Couturier could be the center on a line with Matvei Michkov to start out the season, which could help the Flyers' captain gain even more confidence.
The fact remains, though, that things are still very unpredictable when it comes to Couturier's play. His eight-year, $62 million deal officially took effect in 2022-23, which means that the Flyers are dealing with a long and expensive contract amidst their struggles with dead money and trying to move around older players to make space for the young ones the front office are planning to build around in the coming years.
Couturier is far from a lost cause, but having a captain still facing a large unknown in how much he can still contribute on the ice further complicates an already chaotic stage in the Flyers' rebuild.
