Just a month after he was named captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, Sean Couturier will watch from the press box for maybe his team's most critical game of the 2023-24 season.
The veteran center will be a healthy scratch for Tuesday night's home clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Wells Fargo Center, head coach John Tortorella confirmed.
“For me, I don't care the name, the stature, veteran, especially this time of year,” the longtime bench boss explained, per NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.
“I don't care who you are, I'm going to put the guys that give us the best chance to win that particular game. You certainly have discussions. And they have a right to disagree, they have a right to have a discussion with me, and I think that's how you develop a relationship within a team during a long year.”
The Flyers are battling for their playoff lives, currently occupying the No. 3 slot in the Metropolitan Division but just one point up on the Washington Capitals, and three on the New York Islanders.
They're also just two points away from being out of a postseason spot completely. Still, it's a surprising decision to scratch the captain with only 14 games left.
Flyers' Sean Couturier frustrated with move
Of course, the Philadelphia fan favorite is not happy with getting taken off the ice at such a crucial moment in the campaign.
“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 [the lineup] soon,” he said on Tuesday, per Kimelman.
“It's tough, I feel I've been putting the work in for a while. I know I've been struggling. Trying to work on my game, so definitely frustrated with the way I've been treated around, I guess.”
Couturier was named captain of the team in mid-February, and has returned from back-to-back missed seasons with 11 goals and 36 points in 64 games. But he hasn't lit the lamp in 15 games, while averaging 15:35 of ice time.
Despite his ice time declining, Tortorella knows that his captain will respond properly to being healthy scratched.
“I'll never worry about him as far as effort, as far as attitude. He is a pro. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. I'm not worried about that. I need him to be better, that's all.”
Now 34-26-8, every single game is monumental to the Flyers' playoff chances. And on Tuesday against the Leafs, they'll have to do it without one of the franchise's most important players.
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