In a shortened, regular season of 56 games, the loss of any player for a long period of time will do more damage than in the past.
Are you losing a Selke Trophy winner for any time in this season 2020-21? That would be harmful.
Sean Couturier ended Friday night’s game against the Penguins during the first period and did not return for the middle stanzas. The Flyers’ first-line center was on the ice at about 1:38 and was not on the bench for the rest of the season, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcaster Jim Jackson.
The reason for Couturier’s exit is unknown. The team did not have an immediate update of its status.
Couturier was shown on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast pointing to an area around his right shoulder while on the bench while watching Flyers’ director of sports medicine Jim McCrossin.
Couturier won the rugby player Bobby Clarke Trophies as the most valuable player of the club and took home the Frank J. Selke Trophy 2019-20 as the best defender of the NHL.
The Flyers’ alpha dog in the middle is not easily kept out of games or knocked out. There is not much tougher than Couturier, who scored six points (four goals, two assists) in the first round of the Stanley Cup play-offs in 2018 during Games 5 and 6 on a torn MCL. When the Flyers tried to monitor his shoulder strain last season, Couturier came off somewhat sneaky. Couturier played Game 7 from their second exit to the islanders with an MCL sprain.
Friday 2 was the 2nd game of 56 for the Flyers. Perhaps they were wandering cautiously with all that Couturier had withheld to return to the ice. Stay tuned.
Morgan Frost, a talented center-back, is the club’s 13th forward. He will most likely appear in the series if Couturier misses any time.
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