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Sean Couturier

Snapshots: Couturier, Oilers, Chechelev

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The eight-year, $62MM contract extension that the Flyers and center Sean Couturier agreed on last week appeared to be a bit of a bargain considering what top pivots have been getting and the scarcity of impact centers hitting the open market.  Speaking with reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Couturier suggested that he left some money on the table, saying that he didn’t want to “break the bank”, calling it “another way to try to help the team”.  Speculatively speaking, given that GM Chuck Fletcher called the 28-year-old their best player right now, it will be worth monitoring to see if they try to make Couturier’s contract the ceiling in terms of their contract hierarchy.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Oilers are believed to be looking for a right-shot defenseman that could split time between the NHL and AHL, suggests Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal. Edmonton has limited veteran depth when it comes to their minor league pool so having someone with some NHL experience that can play on the third pairing when needed while being able to clear waivers and worth with their prospects would certainly be beneficial.  It’s getting close to the time where PTO agreements will start to be signed and it wouldn’t be surprising to see if this is how the Oilers try to fill this spot.
  • Flames goaltending prospect Daniil Chechelev will play in North America this season, his agent Aljoša Pilko of CAA Hockey announced (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Calgary (96th overall) back in 2020 and split last season between the VHL and MHL, playing in 40 games in total.  Calgary already has five goalies under contract for 2021-22 so Chechelev may be headed for the USHL as he was selected in the 15th round of their draft by Sioux City back in 2020.  That would give him a chance to get acclimated to the smaller North American surface before possibly signing for 2022-23.

Philadelphia Flyers Extend Sean Couturier

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed star center Sean Couturier to an eight-year contract extension that will start in the 2022-23 season. Couturier has one more season on his current deal and would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer. The new extension will carry an average annual value of $7.75MM and runs through 2029-30. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports that it will include a full no-movement clause in the first seven years, and a Couturier will be required to submit a 10-team trade list in the final season. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher released a statement on the deal:

We are excited to announce Sean’s long term extension with the Flyers today. As one of the premier two-way centers in the NHL, Sean has the rare talent to shut down opposing team’s top players while also contributing at a high offensive level. Throughout his 10 year career with the Flyers, he has proven to be the ultimate teammate. He carries an enormous presence inside our dressing room due to his preparation, determination and drive to win.

CapFriendly provides the full contract breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $1.75MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $4.0MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $4.0MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus
  • 2025-26: $4.0MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus
  • 2026-27: $1.75MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus
  • 2027-28: $1.5MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus
  • 2028-29: $1.5MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus
  • 2029-30: $1.5MM salary + $5.0MM signing bonus

There’s absolutely no doubt that Couturier is one of the Flyers’ most important (if not the most important) players, and every day that passed was getting him closer to unrestricted free agency. Still, this is a huge commitment for the Philadelphia front office, given that he’ll turn 30 just a few months into the first year of the extension.

Currently 28, Couturier is one of the most effective two-way centers in the entire league and took home the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive player in 2020. He has received votes for the award in nine of ten seasons and has been a finalist in the past. When his offense took a huge step forward in 2017 it turned him from a strong checking forward to a true top-line center, capable of near point-per-game production. He has hit the 30+ goal mark twice, posted a career-high of 76 points in two seasons, and registered 41 points in 45 games this year. There are only a handful of players in the league who can impact the game as much as Couturier, given how effective he is in all three zones.

Still, while this deal may be a bargain in the next few years, it’s hard to expect Couturier to keep up his level of play throughout. He’s now signed for the entire decade and already has more than 700 NHL games under his belt playing a relatively physical style of hockey. There’s no telling what his decline phase will look like, but a deal of this length could become an issue if his offensive production falters even a little bit.

That’s a problem for the future though, as the Flyers try to capitalize on this core and compete for the Stanley Cup. The team went out and revamped the defensive group, bringing in Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen and Keith Yandle this offseason, and swapped a pair of veteran forwards by sending Jakub Voracek to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Cam Atkinson. With Claude Giroux signed for just one more season, James Van Riemsdyk under contract for just two, the time is now for the Flyers to strike.

The $7.75MM cap hit ties him with young Andrei Svechnikov, who signed a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes earlier today, for the 49th highest in the league for 2022-23. He will likely be knocked a few spots down by other extensions and contracts, but that’s likely a number that Couturier could have eclipsed on the open market, had he waited. That obviously wouldn’t have come with the eight-year term though, something that likely gives him security through the end of his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Philadelphia Flyers Activate Sean Couturier

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His time was coming near, but the Philadelphia Flyers announced Sunday that they are activating injured forward Sean Couturier off of injured reserve and the Selke Award winner is expected to be in the lineup today against the Washington Capitals.

The 28-year-old was expected to miss at least two weeks after suffering a Costochondral separation, or a rib separation, early in a Jan. 15 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Couturier has only managed to play in two games this season (including just 45 seconds on the day of his injury).

Couturier should immediately provide some much-needed stability to a Flyers team that was expected to be a dominant team this season. While the team is in second place with a 7-3-2 record this year, Philadelphia has struggled quite a bit at the same time, giving up several leads in games.

The Flyers are also expecting Philippe Myers to return to the Flyers’ lineup and is expected to start on the first pairing with Ivan Provorov, according to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. Travis Sanheim has come out of the lineup, but no report on whether it is injury-related.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/18/21

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It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.

  • Pierre Engvall has been promoted from the AHL roster to the taxi squad by the Toronto Maple Leafs after Nick Robertson suffered a knee injury on the weekend. Engvall’s $1.25MM contract actually makes it difficult for him to see the active roster given how tight the cap space is for Toronto, though it could be possible in the coming days should Aaron Dell and Jason Spezza both clear waivers today.
  • Given it is a game day for the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Romanov has been recalled from the taxi squad. The rookie defenseman has been excellent so far for Montreal but will find himself on the taxi squad between games in order for the Canadiens to accrue extra cap space throughout the season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled both Ville Heinola and Kristian Vesalainen from the taxi squad, while moving Tucker Poolman to non-roster status. Poolman has been listed on the COVID Related Protocol Absences list for the last two days.
  • The same can be said about Shayne Gostisbehere of the Philadelphia Flyers, who today was given the non-roster designation as well. Connor Bunnaman has been recalled from the taxi squad for the Flyers, who are expected to be without Sean Couturier when they take on the Buffalo Sabres this evening.
  • Mackenzie MacEachern has been assigned to the taxi squad by the St. Louis Blues, while Jake Walman is up in his place. Colton Parayko missed practice today but is expected to play, meaning Walman’s recall may just be precautionary.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Kevin Czuczman to their taxi squad from AHL camp, adding some depth to the traveling group after placing Mike Matheson on injured reserve. The team also assigned Sam Lafferty to the taxi squad, while sending Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau to the AHL. Given that Kasperi Kapanen practiced today and is clear of the COVID protocols, expect him to be added to the active roster before tomorrow’s game.
  • Linus Ullmark will miss tonight’s game for the Buffalo Sabres due to personal reasons, so the team has recalled Jonas Johansson from the taxi squad. Carter Hutton, the team’s other goaltender, allowed five goals on 27 shots in his first appearance this season.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad, replacing him with Ben Harpur who was recalled from the AHL. Olivier played in the Predators game on Saturday, recording six hits in just under 12 minutes of ice time.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Sean Couturier To Miss At Least Two Weeks

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The Flyers will be without their top center for a little while as the Flyers announced (Twitter link) that Sean Couturier will miss at least the next two weeks with a Costochondral separation.  That injury is more commonly known as a rib separation.  The injury was sustained on Friday night against Pittsburgh in just his second shift.

Couturier’s absence is a big loss for Philadelphia as he has been one of their top offensive performers in recent years.  On top of that, the reigning Selke Trophy winner for the NHL’s top defensive forward is a key part of their penalty kill and has become one of the top players at the faceoff dot in recent years.

With the schedule being more compact than normal, Couturier will likely miss at least the next six or seven games, roughly one-eighth of the entire regular season.  His absence could open up an opportunity for Morgan Frost to join the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch in their first two games.  Frost had seven points in 20 games while Philadelphia last season and as an offensive-minded forward, a spot in their top six may be an ideal spot to slot him in but even so, filling Couturier’s shoes considering all of the ways he makes an impact for Philadelphia will be tough for him or anyone to accomplish.

Sean Couturier Named 2020 Selke Trophy Winner

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Another day, another NHL award announced. This evening it was the honor of best defensive forward, which went to Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier. The league named Couturier the recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the 2019-20 season, his first time winning the award. The Selke Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association and is awarded to the forward deemed to “best excel in the defensive aspects of the game.”

Couturier faced stiff competition for the honor this season, as 2018-19 winner Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues and four-time winner and nine-time finalist Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins were also named finalists. Yet, the race was not particularly close. Couturier finished with 117 of a possible 170 first-place votes, 96 more than Bergeron in second. His 1424 total voting points were also 540 more than Bergeron. O’Reilly finished close behind in third, with Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli in fourth and Vegas’ Mark Stone and Montreal’s Phillip Danault finishing in a distant fifth and sixth respectively.

Couturier has grown into one of if not the best face-off man in the NHL, a main reason he ran away with the Selke this season. He won 59.7% of his draws, more than any other player in the league (with a minimum 50 face-offs). He also ranked second in defensive zone face-off percentage. On the club level, he led all Flyers forwards in average time on ice and short-handed ice time per game and led all Philadelphia skaters in plus/minus and Corsi. Additionally, Couturier finished second in scoring for Philly, just two points behind Travis Konecny for the team lead.  

Metropolitan Notes: Bemstrom, Merzlikins, Couturier

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Blue Jackets winger Emil Bemstrom is expected to join HIFK Helsinki of the SM-liiga to start their season, reports SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson.  The 21-year-old still has two years remaining on his entry-level deal so Columbus would have to agree to loan him out before anything could be finalized.  While he played in the SHL before coming to North America, that league isn’t accepting players on loan so he had to look elsewhere.

Bemstrom played in 56 games in his rookie season, collecting 10 goals and 10 assists; half of his tallies came with the man advantage to tie for the Blue Jackets lead.  He also suited up in five postseason contests where he was held off the scoresheet.  After averaging more than 12 minutes a game, it’s safe to infer that Bemstrom should have the inside track on a roster spot with Columbus next season but a good start in Finland in more of an offensive role could certainly give him a boost heading into training camp where he’ll be looking for a bigger role.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Still with the Blue Jackets, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins told RSI Sport in Switzerland that he is hoping to get permission to train with HC Lugano next month. He is no stranger to Lugano having played there from 2009 through 2019 before coming to Columbus this season.  However, unlike before, Merzlikins has no intention of playing while he’s over there as if he is loaned, it would just be to skate with the team to stay in shape for training camp.
  • Flyers center Sean Couturier played through an MCL sprain in their final playoff game, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. It’s not the first time that he has had an MCL injury in the past as he played through his final few 2018 postseason contests with an MCL tear.  The injury should be fully recovered in time for training camp.

Poll: Who Should Win The 2020 Selke Trophy?

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The finalists have been announced for all the major awards, but like every year there is much debate over who should take home each piece of hardware. In fact, with a shortened season and unorthodox playoff scenario, the views and reasoning behind each vote will perhaps vary even more wildly.

So as we get closer to the return of NHL hockey in Edmonton and Toronto, where 24 teams will try to chase the Stanley Cup, we’re going to ask you, the PHR faithful, to explain who you would vote for if given the chance.

After looking at the Calder Trophy finalists, Jack Adams nominees and Norris Trophy contenders, let’s shift our focus to the James Norris Memorial Trophy, given to “the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.” Despite being purely about defensive skill, the Selke is almost always given to a player who also excels at the offensive side of things. That makes it one of the most divisive major awards, especially since defensive acumen is so difficult to judge in many cases.

This year’s finalists are no different, with Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues, Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins also showing their strengths at the offensive end of the rink. The award also strongly leans towards the center position, which all three finalists are.

You have to start things with O’Reilly, given he took home the award a year ago. The Blues center has been one of the best faceoff men in the league for basically his entire career, posting a 55.4% win percentage over nearly 15,000 draws. He also is always available to help penalty kill, given he doesn’t take penalties—his ten PIM this season earned him another finalist spot in the Lady Byng voting.

O’Reilly won the award for the first time last season, but is up against the player who it may be renamed for one day. Patrice Bergeron has won the Selke four times in his career, finishing in the top-5 in each of the previous ten seasons. Taking his fifth trophy this year would move him ahead of Bob Gainey for the most all-time, a record that would be incredibly difficult to beat moving forward.

It’s easy to understand why Bergeron is always in the mix when you look at his incredible possession numbers, faceoff stats, and consistent takeaway totals. There are few players in history you’d rather want checking the opponent’s best talents, but Bergeon continues to just pour in 30-goal seasons year after year.

O’Reilly and Bergeron may be looking to repeat as winners, but they’ll have to defeat Couturier who has really taken over as the leader of the Flyers forward group. Once just known as a strong checking center, the 27-year old is now also an excellent offensive talent that rarely gives up the puck once he has it. Add that to his league-leading 59.7% faceoff percentage this season and it may finally be time for Couturier to win an individual award.

Perhaps more than any other award it is tough to know who came close to these three finalists, given how subjective the voting tends to be. Mark Stone, usually regarded as the best defensive winger in the game finished second last season and had another outstanding season in Vegas. Jonathan Toews, who won the award in 2013, had another strong year but has faded from Selke consideration in recent seasons. Sidney Crosby, whose defensive attributes are sometimes overlooked, played only 41 games and is likely to drop out of the top group.

Who do you think should take the 2020 Selke Trophy home? Feel free to vote outside the top three and explain your choice in the comments!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards

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Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues

Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award

1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights

Metropolitan Notes: Hall, Couturier, Chytil

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There hasn’t been much in the way of recent discussions about an extension between the Devils and winger Taylor Hall.  However, it appears as if that will be changing as Hall told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale that his agent Darren Ferris will be sitting down with New Jersey GM Ray Shero at some point during their Western road trip to talk contract.  That will represent their first meeting since the beginning of the season.

The 27-year-old came into the season with a chance at pushing for a similar price tag to Artemi Panarin, who back in July landed a record-setting $11.642MM AAV, the highest ever given to a winger.  However, while he has played relatively well so far, he’ll need to pick things up on the goal front as he has just two in a dozen games so far this season.  Nonetheless, with a current $6MM cap hit, Hall will be in line for a substantial raise regardless of whether that’s with the Devils or someone else.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Flyers center Sean Couturier is playing through a shoulder injury, reports Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Head coach Alain Vigneault acknowledged that Philadelphia’s team doctors had asked him to have him not take faceoffs in an effort to help the strain heal.  It’s believed that Couturier will need to avoid taking draws for the better part of another week.  Despite the discomfort, he’s off to another strong start to his season with nine points through 13 games so far.
  • Rangers center Filip Chytil has impressed since being recalled from AHL Hartford with a pair of goals in as many games going into Monday’s contest against Ottawa. He mentioned to Greg Joyce of the New York Post that part of the reason for his early success is that he’s playing his natural position after spending most of last year on the wing.  However, with Mika Zibanejad nearing a return from his neck issue, that opportunity to play down the middle may not be there for much longer.  It appears that he’ll have to adapt to the wing again or head back to the minors; given how he has fared thus far, the former is more likely than the latter.

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