Sean Couturier takes shot at Flyers after being healthy scratched vs. Toronto

On Tuesday night, Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier watched the game from the press box as a healthy scratch against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Head coach John Tortorella had been critical of his captain, and as Flyers general manager Daniel Briere explained: “I can tell you one thing — with John Tortorella, it doesn’t matter who it is. That’s what he’s known for. He treats everybody the same way.”

Couturier isn’t dumb. He knows he hasn’t played his best, especially on Saturday against the Boston Bruins, where he finished the game with only 11:10 of ice time, way down from his usual 18:36. He has tallied 11 goals and 36 points this season, but has put up just one point in his last nine games. His last goal came on Feb. 10 against the Seattle Kraken. On Feb. 14, he was named Flyers’ captain. It could have been the start of a redemption story, especially after missing most of the 2021-22 season and the entirety of the 2022-23 season while dealing with a back injury.

But he’s been struggling, and while he knows he must do better, he did send a shot at the Flyers ahead of Tuesday’s game against Toronto.

“I’ve been putting the work in for a while. I’ve been struggling, but I’ve been working on my game, and it’s frustrating the way I’ve been treated around here lately. But it is what it is.”

Couturier confirmed that he has “somewhat” spoken with Torts about the decision, adding, “I control what I can control, it is what it is, and I’m gonna move on…It doesn’t matter what I think. I’ve gotta leave my ego aside, I guess. Hopefully I can get back into it soon.”

It’s a statement decision indeed to scratch the team captain and I understand why Couturier may be frustrated about. Without Couturier, the Flyers managed to get a 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs thanks to other players stepping up.

“Obviously, he’s our captain … but we have a job to do and a game to play and we are in the thick of the playoff race right now, so our focus is on winning hockey games,” teammate Travis Sanheim said after the game.

Couturier now needs to turn his focus on playing better and getting back on track as soon as possible, especially if Philadelphia looks to be a serious contender in the Stanley Cup run.

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