When it comes to benching underperforming players, Flyers coach John Tortorella pulls no punches. No one is exempt, not even captain Sean Couturier, the highest-paid, longest tenured player on the team.
Couturier was named a healthy scratch for Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. After Tuesday’s morning skate, the 31-year-old tried to process the snub, as one of a handful of players watching the game from the stands as Tortorella looks to jolt a team that is 5-7-2 in the last month.
It’s the first such scratch for Couturier in 12 NHL seasons. Couturier will consider Tortorella’s next specific explanation for the demotion as the first he’s gotten.
“I’ve gotten the same answers as you guys,” Couturier told reporters. “He just needs to see more. I’m still looking to find out what that is. But I’m trying every game. It’s not like I’m sitting around or doing nothing. I felt the last couple of games with the limited ice time or opportunities I’ve been getting I’ve been doing alright. But I guess we’re going with the best lineup available tonight to get a win. So, it is what it is.”
Tortorella also scratched the second-highest-paid Flyer in Cam Atkinson, who has gotten the healthy scratch treatment this season. Couturier is slated to earn $7.75 million, Atkinson $5.875 million. Obviously, a lot of payroll for a team clinging to its playoff life.
Couturier has just one even-strength goal in the last 14 games for the Flyers and 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists) in 64 games. That after basically missing two years with back surgeries.
Couturier’s ice time has dwindled to an average of 14 minutes per game in April, well under his average of almost 19 minutes per game this season. All of that just 34 games into his captaincy.
Tortorella was not available for comment after the morning skate. Previously he said of Couturier, “A number of players, him being one, need to be better.”
Flyers assistant coach Rocky Thompson took questions Tuesday morning but declined to talk specifically about Couturier’s minutes, deferring to Tortorella.
“I think Coots has done a good job,” Thompson said. “He works extremely hard in practice and he’s trying to get himself better, without a doubt.”
The Flyers were just 3-5 in April entering Tuesday, including losses in three of their last four games. Couturier, under contract for five more years and $38.75 million, has his fingers crossed the demotion is only a temporary thing. Talks with Tortorella have gone nowhere.
“It doesn’t matter, honestly, what I think,” Couturier said. “Got to leave my ego aside I guess and hopefully the team finds a way to get a win here tonight and I can get back into it soon. It’s tough. I feel like I’ve been putting the work in for a while. Kind of been struggling. Been trying to work on my game. So, definitely I’m frustrated the way I’ve been treated around lately but it is what it is.
“I control what I can control. It is what it is. We’ll move on.”
• • •
The Flyers also scratched forward Denis Gurianov and defenseman Marc Staal.
Center Ryan Poehling (9-13-22) after the morning skate indicated that the Flyers’ goals are still ahead of them.
“The nice thing is we still control our own destiny,” Poehling said. “That’s the biggest thing going forward.”
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment