Flyers Summer Sampler: Sean Couturier on pace to make long-awaited return

The Flyers' longest-tenured player has missed the last season-and-a-half after undergoing two back surgeries.

It's the dead of summer, but the Philadelphia Flyers will be gearing up for training camp before we know it. In preparation for the preseason, we've created the Summer Sampler series, in which we'll be analyzing every key player on the Flyers roster. We'll assess where each player stands ahead of the 2023-24 season and project what their respective roles will be for the upcoming campaign. Stay tuned throughout the summer for each Flyer's individual evaluation in the lead-up to training camp.

The Flyers are getting set to enter uncharted territory. Since the franchise's inception back in 1967, the Flyers have never really undergone a true rebuild. On the contrary, the historically rough-and-tumble club has always done anything and everything possible to be a consistent Stanley Cup contender by any means necessary.

Well, those days are over. At least for the foreseeable future.

The Flyers are now in full-fledged rebuild mode. Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Kevin Hayes, and James van Riemsdyk are all playing for new clubs while younger players like Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, Owen Tippett, and Noah Cates are expected to steer the ship as the club undergoes its unprecedented transformation.

In spite of the heavy turnover in recent seasons, one key veteran — Sean Couturier — remains, and he figures to play an integral role in the Flyers' future (assuming he manages to return to his pre-injury form).

How did Couturier perform in 2022-23? Well, he didn't. In fact, the 30-year-old hasn't played a single second of NHL hockey in over a year-and-a-half.

Couturier's last outing came on December 18, 2021. A little under two months later, he underwent a back surgery that prematurely ended his 2021-22 campaign.

With hopes of returning to the Flyers during the 2022-23 season, he was forced to undergo a second back surgery last October. Couturier was optimistic he'd be able to rejoin the Flyers toward the end of the 2022-23 regular season, but the Flyers ultimately chose to hold him out for the entire campaign.

What should fans expect from Couturier in 2023-24? Couturier is one of the Flyers' biggest question marks going into the 2023-24 season. Before his year-and-a-half-long absence, Couturier was regarded as one of the top two-way players in the NHL. He was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy for his stellar 200-foot play during the 2019-20 season and won the Flyers' Bobby Clarke Trophy in three straight campaigns before undergoing his first back surgery in February of 2022.

But after missing nearly two full years of action, it's impossible to determine how effective Couturier will be when he makes his return. Back injuries are known to be debilitating for professional athletes — and particularly for NHL players.

Is it possible Couturier could return to form as a bona fide top-line talent and shutdown center? Absolutely. But it's just as possible he will never play at the Selke-caliber level we saw from him before he underwent his two back surgeries. And even if he does manage to return to his pre-surgery form, it's a near guarantee that he'll spend a significant chunk of the season knocking off the rust after being held out of action for so long.

What does Couturier need to prove? At this stage, Couturier just needs to prove he's healthy enough to play NHL hockey, let alone serve as the Flyers' No. 1 center.

By the time the 2023-24 regular season begins, it will have been roughly 22 months since Couturier's last appearance in the Flyers' lineup. An absence of that duration is sure to have a major impact on any player, and Couturier likely is not an exception.

Couturier believes he was healthy enough to play toward the end of the 2022-23 season, and he's hopeful a full summer of additional training will have him in optimal shape to get back onto the ice and perform at a high level.

"I feel great. I feel like I've pretty much done a full offseason of training already, and starting again, so I'm already excited for camp. Obviously, it's a big summer of training for me. I'm gonna work extremely hard to get back to the pace of the game, and just looking forward to next year," Couturier told the media in April.

"I'm for sure going into this offseason motivated and with a lot to prove coming into next year."