VOORHEES, N.J. – Sean Couturier isn’t the type to complain.
That’s why you didn’t hear much from the Flyers captain about his health situation last season even though observers knew something wasn’t quite right.
He finished up a 74-game slate with a career-low 11 goals (for a full season) and a career-worst plus-minus rating of minus-10.
The 31-year-old player really hasn’t been himself since the first half of the 2020-21 season. He missed half of that season, plus the half of the next, then all of the 2022-23 campaign due to recurring back problems which resulted in major surgery.
He managed to compete in all but eight games last season but something was clearly wrong. Turns out he needed sports hernia surgery, which he underwent right after the season ended.
Now he’s hoping that the injury woes are a thing of the past and he can get back to the form which helped him win the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the NHL’s best defensive forward in 2019-20.
After Thursday’s opening day of training camp at the Flyers Training Center, Couturier expressed optimism about his health.
“Physically, I feel better,” he said. “Mentally, (relieved) that I’m over the hump.”
As for the surgery itself, Couturier believes he can get back to full strength by the time the season officially gets underway on Oct. 11.
“I think it’s a pretty common surgery,” he said. “I’m not too worried. It (hernia problem) started in maybe December. It’s one of those things you can fight through it, but I’m glad that I’m back to feeling normal.
“Last year it was just bugging me a little bit. It’s one of those injuries you can rehab and maintain, depending on the symptoms. I just wanted to get it done with and move on.”
One encouraging note: Couturier was able to get back to a normal offseason training schedule rather quickly.
Good thing, because Thursday’s first day of training camp featured coach John Tortorella’s demanding skating drills.
“I was pretty much able to do what I wanted to do,” Couturier said of the summer recovery. “Let it heal, make sure it was fine. I had a good summer of training, I feel good. I tried to focus on what I need to do to play a full 82 games season and do my best throughout the year.”
There’s a possibility Couturier could wind up centering a line with touted Russian rookie Matvei Michkov this season and Couturier gave the young winger some high praise.
“I haven’t been out there a whole lot and I don’t want to compare too much,” Couturier said. “But you can tell his skill level up is there with the best I’ve played with like (Claude) Giroux and (Jake) Voracek.
“He’s got those hands, that vision, he can make plays. But I think we have to be careful not to judge right away. He’s only 19 and he’s coming to a new country. There’s a lot of new stuff in his life. Just let him grow into the player he can be.”
>Drysdale back to full strength
When defenseman Jamie Drysdale arrived last March in the trade which sent disgruntled Flyers former first-round draft pick Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks, it was a bit of culture shock.
This was Drysdale’s first trade at the NHL level and took him off-guard. Plus, he was bothered by a sports hernia.
After undergoing core surgery in late April, plus a summer in the Philadelphia area going through rehab and working on his conditioning, Drysdale feels like he’s ready to show the Flyers what he can do.
“I feel good, the body’s feeling good,” he said. “That’s a positive. I’m just looking forward to, hopefully, a full 82 (games).”
Drysdale admitted he wasn’t himself in his brief playing time here.
“It wasn’t great, not knowing you can’t do what you want to do,” he said. “That’s not ideal. From not being able to warm up properly to just making it feel decent going into games. I’m just looking forward to going into this year feeling good.”
If he wakes up on Friday morning feeling OK after Thursday’s demanding fitness tests, things should be OK.
“I’d say it lived up to everything I’ve heard about it,” Drysdale said. “It was a grind, really hard. Definitely a mental and physical battle. It was tough, for sure.
“There’s a lot of mixed emotions out there. You’re trying to catch your breath. The legs feel like stone, even after about three or four (repeats). It’s a perfect example of a mental battle. It gives you some confidence moving forward. I think it will bring everyone closer together.”
>Condolences to Gaudreau family
At the start of his media session on Thursday, Flyers alternate captain Scott Laughton expressed both his and the team’s condolences to the Gaudreau family.
Both Johnny, a former member of the Columbus Blue Jackets and a native of South Jersey, and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a drunk driver last month not far from where they grew up.
“In South Jersey, I know how much John and Matt meant to the city (Philadelphia) and everyone around us,” Laughton said. “From the Flyers organization and all of us, I want to send our condolences to the family. We’re all thinking of them. I know a lot of guys in Columbus and throughout the league are going through it and all his family. They won’t be forgotten around here. I know how much they did for the community.”
>Johnson discusses team progress
Veteran defenseman Erik Johnson, who came over via trade from Colorado last March, was signed for another season for his veteran presence.
He indicated that although the Flyers made a lot of progress last season, they can’t sit on their laurels. Every season is different. Especially for the young players.
“You can’t go into a new season relying on taking a step just because you took a step last year,” said Johnson, who won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022. “As a young player, you really have to reinvent yourself. Maybe guys had a good year last year. But guys across the league know them now. It almost becomes tougher sometimes.
“You have to reinvent yourself every year because it gets tougher. Last year no one expected the Flyers to be as good as we were. We caught teams off-guard but I think they will be ready for us this year, so it will be more of a challenge for our group to be ready for that.”
