Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier recently picked up a back injury as the NHL season looms. The initial fear was that the veteran forward would miss significant time. However, that doesn't seem to be the case now.
The Flyers announced on Wednesday that Couturier will not require surgery. He is still week to week, but the news brings a renewed sense of optimism for team and player.
On September 12, the Flyers cleared Couturier as a full participant in training camp. “I feel good,” Couturier said after being cleared. “I had a long recovery. [It] took longer than I thought, a lot of ups and downs, but now I'm feeling good and ready to go. Excited to get going again.”
Couturier has spent his entire 11-year career with the Flyers. The team selected him in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft, and he made his debut that October. The 29-year-old has 180 goals and 460 points so far in his career. He missed significant time last season after back surgery.
With former captain Claude Giroux now departed, Couturier is one of the few Flyers players with long-term familiarity with the team on the roster. The Flyers finished last in the Metropolitan Division last season and had two head coaches.
Philadelphia has a new head coach entering the 2022-23 season. They hired veteran bench boss John Tortorella back in July. Many expect this first year to be something of a rebuild, but Tortorella's experience lends itself to the potential for contention down the line.
The Flyers begin their season on October 13 against the New Jersey Devils.
Follow Us
Subscribe