Flyers’ Couturier Could Miss Entire 2022-23 Season

The 2022-23 season was expected to be a rough one for the Philadelphia Flyers, and got even worse on Monday after news broke that Sean Couturier has a herniated disc in his back and could miss the entire year.

Related: Flames Sign Sonny Milano to PTO, Will Another Team Scoop Him?

Couturier, 29, has battled a number of injuries for the past few seasons. He was limited to 45 games in 2020-21, and just 29 this past season. It is extremely unfortunate given that he had really started to come into his own a few seasons prior, proving to the world why he was selected eighth overall in the 2011 draft.

When healthy enough to play last season, Couturier struggled for his standards with just six goals and 17 points through 29 games. That said, that pace translates to 48 points over an 82-game schedule, which would have been third on the Flyers team last season. Suffice to say, not having him in the lineup is going to hurt in a big way for the 2022-23 campaign.

The silver lining here is that it isn’t a guarantee Couturier is forced to miss the entire season. The hope is that after a few months of rest he may be good to go, but whether that turns out to be the case remains to be seen. This injury will likely mean that Kevin Hayes begins the 2022-23 season as the Flyers top centerman, which simply isn’t good enough. Barring some miraculous morale boost from newly hired coach John Tortorella, this is a team that should finish near the bottom of league standings. If that happens, there will be some massive changes, which will likely include the firing of general manager Chuck Fletcher.

Next: Will Maple Leafs Curtis Douglas Skill Catch Up to His Size?