The Philadelphia Flyers have named Sean Couturier of Phoenix, Arizona their team captain according to TSN on Wednesday. Couturier is the 20th captain in Flyers history and second American born captain on the Flyers as defenseman Derian Hatcher of Sterling Heights, Michigan captained the Flyers during the 2005-06 season. It should be noted that even though Couturier is American born, he has dual citizenship as he was raised in Bathurst, New Brunswick, and plays internationally for Canada.
Couturier in 2023-24
Couturier has 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 50 games. He is a +7 with 16 penalty minutes, six power-play points, three game-winning goals, one shorthanded point, 148 shots on goal, 547 faceoff wins, 27 blocked shots, 26 hits, 37 takeaways, and 22 giveaways. The shorthanded point was an assist on a goal by defenseman Sean Walker of Keswick, Ontario in a 4-1 Flyers win over the Edmonton Oilers on October 19.
Couturier’s Career Statistics
In 771 NHL games, Couturier has 191 goals and 302 assists for 493 points. He is a +89 with 293 penalty minutes, 88 power-play points, 14 shorthanded points, 33 game-winning goals, 1725 shots on goal, 6073 faceoff wins, 397 blocked shots, 577 hits, 452 takeaways, and 351 giveaways.
2020 Selke Trophy Winner
Couturier was the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2019-20. He was a +21 with 543 faceoff wins, 59 points, 26 blocked shots, 60 hits, and 40 takeaways.
First Captain since Claude Giroux
The Flyers have not had a captain since Claude Giroux signed a three-year deal worth $19 million on July 13, 2022. The Flyers went through the entire 2022-23 season with four assistant captains.
Strange time to announce a captain
Most teams announce a captain in the offseason. That is not the case with the 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers who named Couturier captain with 38 games left in the regular season. Flyers head coach John Tortorella has a history of doing things differently and continued the trend this week.
In a Playoff Spot
The Flyers are at 29 wins, 19 regulation losses and six losses in extra time for 64 points. They are in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
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