Philadelphia Flyers announce Sean Couturier will not play this season

Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier will not return to the lineup for the rest of the 2022–23 regular season as he continues to recover from a back injury, head coach John Tortorella announced Saturday.

Couturier, 30, hasn’t suited up for the Flyers since Dec. 18, 2021. The 2020 Frank J. Selke Trophy winner has skated regularly in recent weeks but the Flyers have elected not to risk returning him to game action late in a non-playoff season.

Tortorella confirmed that Couturier did not suffer a setback in his recovery that prompted the decision to officially shut him down for the season. He also added that Couturier badly wanted to return this season.

The Flyers originally selected Couturier in the first round (No. 8 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. The Phoenix, Ariz. product made his NHL debut with the Flyers in the 2011–12 season and quickly established himself as one of the league’s premier two-way forwards.

Couturier exploded for 76 points in back-to-back seasons with the Flyers in 2017–18 and 2018–19. Then, in 2019–20, he recorded 59 points in 69 games en route to finally being recognized with the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward (he had previously been named a finalist for the award in 2018).

The Flyers signed Couturier to an eight-year, $7.75 million AAV contract extension in the summer of 2021. Couturier has yet to play a single game on that deal, which only just kicked in with the 2022–23 season. He’ll be on the books in Philadelphia until 2030.

Through 721 career games over parts of 11 seasons with the Flyers, Couturier has collected 180 goals and 460 points. He has also recorded 10 goals and 22 points in 39 career playoff contests.

The Flyers will return to action on Apr. 1 to take on the Buffalo Sabres at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.