Flyers Name Sean Couturier 20th Captain in Franchise History

The day the Flyers traded Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers was the last day they had a player wearing the captain’s C on their jersey.

That drought of nearly two years ended Wednesday night.

The Flyers announced Sean Couturier as the 20th Captain in franchise history.

C pic.twitter.com/Dmir0YTpo0

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 15, 2024

Couturier, 31, is in his 12th season, all with the Flyers. He returned to action this season after missing nearly two years (663 days) with a back injury. Only Scott Laughton has been with the franchise longer than Couturier.

Laughton, who has been the only Flyer wearing a letter on his jersey for the past two seasons, will continue to wear an ‘A’ as an alternate captain. Two-time all-star Travis Konecny will be the other alternate captain.

“Sean Couturier is an ideal choice to be the next leader of the Philadelphia Flyers,” Danny Briere said in a statement. “Sean was drafted here and has made Philadelphia his home. I have personally seen his development from a responsible forward to one of the best two-way centerman in the game and a playoff performer. The adversity he has had to overcome has only strengthened his proven leadership. In this New Era of Orange with Dan Hilferty, Keith Jones and John Tortorella at the helm, we couldn’t be more proud to call him captain.”

For his part, Couturier was humbled by the appointment.

“It’s such a great honor,” he said, also in a statement. “It’s a really prestigious organization so this makes it even more special. This city is my home and I love it here.

“It’s going to be business as usual for me. Nothing is really going to change from me or my game and how I approach things. I love my teammates, how we have grown as a group and I want to make sure we keep going on the right path here.”

Pretty cool to see Sean Couturier share his tips on faceoffs with teammates. pic.twitter.com/8wHDZw6Toh

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) February 14, 2024

The Flyers selected Couturier in the first round of the 2011 draft (No. 7 overall), with a draft pick acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with Jake Voracek, in exchange for Jeff Carter.

In 12 seasons, he’s amassed 493 points (191 goals, 302 assists) in 771 career games. He ranks fifth in team history in games played and is the fifth player in Flyers history to skate in 12 or more seasons with the club, joining Giroux (15), Bobby Clarke (15), Rick MacLeish (12) and Bill Barber (12).

He was named the 2020 Frank J. Selke Trophy winner after collecting 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 69 games during the 2019-20 season.

As for the alternates, Laughton might be one for now, but I’m told several teams are interested in trading for him, including at least one team in the Flyers division. Deciding what to do with Laughton is going to be a very difficult decision for the Flyers as he is a beloved figure in the organization and the locker room. But if teams are willing to pay a price Briere can’t refuse, he’ll have no choice but to cut the cord.

As for Konecny, multiple sources confirmed that Briere will be meeting with Konecny’s representatives on Wednesday while the team is in Toronto. This won’t be an outright negotiation of a contract extension – as Konecny’s agent Pat Morris represents several other players in the Flyers organization and will likely be checking in on all of them – but it’s a safe bet that they will at least discuss what each side is thinking in regard to a possible extension.

The Flyers can’t officially sign Konecny to an extension until July 1st, but that doesn’t mean the two sides can’t exchange ideas before then. In speaking with two NHL sources familiar with what both sides are thinking, the Flyers would prefer to have Konecny’s annual average value (AAV) fall somewhere in the $9 million range. Konecny’s camp will almost certainly start their ask north of $10 million AAV.

Both sides would be happy to get a deal done, but mutual admiration doesn’t guarantee a happy medium can be reached. Keep an eye on this over the next few months.

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