The Philadelphia Flyers exceeded all expectations for about 90 percent of the 2023-24 NHL campaign. No one expected this team to come anywhere near advancing to the postseason, but led by a no-nonsense coach in John Tortorella and driven by some exciting young talent, the Flyers occupied the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division for most of the campaign.
Unfortunately for Sean Couturier and his squad, the regular-season ended with nine losses in 11 tries, shutting the door on a potential return to the dance for the Flyers in 2024. It was an epic collapse to end a year that wasn't anything close to drama-free in the City of Brotherly Love.
One of the main headlines was head coach John Tortorella scratching Couturier for the first time in the captain's career back in March — and his agent speaking out publicly in response.
Couturier changed agents earlier this week, replacing Erik Lupien with Pat Brisson of CAA Sports, who also represents teammates Nick Seleer, Erik Johnson and Cam York. Although no official reason was given as to why the veteran changed agents, it could be due to Luthien's comments at the time, according to Flyers Nitty Gritty's Jamey Baskow.
“I gave it a day to let those sound off on Sean Couturier switching agents,” Baskow wrote on social media on Wednesday. “My final thought is he switched agents because his agent publicly spoke about the benchings, and it obviously rubbed Couturier the wrong way. The agent should have just kept quiet, but he didn't.”
Sean Couturier's former agent's comments
While that is simply speculation, it was a very difficult year for Couturier on and off the ice. Whether or not that was the reason he changed his representation, the Flyers captain will want to put the campaign behind him and look ahead to 2024-25.
Although the captain and the head coach have both maintained that the incident is behind them and will not affect the relationship going forward, Lupien still went on record to criticize the bench boss' decision.
“Sean won't learn anything by being in the bleachers,” he said in March. “He's not a second-year pro that went through a cold streak. Sean is a leader and the captain of [the Flyers], so by putting him in the bleachers, for a player, he's going to be ashamed to be there. If there's no communication why between the two, in 2024, from my perspective, it isn't always good to coach and establish regimental fear.”
Couturier appeared in 74 games this season for Philly after missing back-to-back campaigns. He was only able to chip in 38 points in that span, his lowest point-per-game production since 2016-17.
The 31-year-old was named the 20th captain in Flyers' franchise history back in February; he signed an eight-year, $62 million contract extension in 2021. He holds a full no-movement clause until the final year of the deal, which won't come until 2029-30.
But the captain will be focusing on next season — with new representation — as he looks to help the Flyers come out of the rebuild and make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
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