SEAN COUTURIER - Center - 26 - $4.33MM Cap Hit - UFA in 2022-2023
LAST UPDATED 8/20/19
After four straight seasons posting 34-39 points, most people thought they had Couturier figured out, me included. Sure, he had a great scoring record from the QMJHL and always seemed to have a little bit more offensive upside, but that never came to be at the professional level to that point, so he just looked like another former top prospect whose offensive development didn't go as planned. Then 2017-18 happened, and Couturier was placed on the Flyers' first line, centering the two offensive centerpieces of Philadelphia's attack, Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. There, Couturier shined, and since joining that line he's posted back-to-back 76 point seasons. The most remarkable thing about Couturier is how versatile he is. He's an elite defensive center, using his above-average size and strong skating abilities to hound the puck carrier. He's turned himself into one of the league's best faceoff takers and can reliably anchor a first unit penalty kill. Offensively, Couturier is an asset in front of the net and in the corners, but also with his playmaking abilities. He's an underrated shooter and is great at finishing the plays that Giroux and Voracek start. He probably isn't a high-70's point scorer without the work of his two linemates, but that's not to say that Couturier can't drive play. He plays so strong on the puck that his puck control abilities allow him to create enough time and space with the puck to set up his teammates. He's just as comfortable on the PK as he is facilitating a power play, and there are few players who can say the same. Couturier is one of hockey's most valuable centers and should take the place of Claude Giroux as Philadelphia's franchise player once father time catches up to Giroux.
After four straight seasons posting 34-39 points, most people thought they had Couturier figured out, me included. Sure, he had a great scoring record from the QMJHL and always seemed to have a little bit more offensive upside, but that never came to be at the professional level to that point, so he just looked like another former top prospect whose offensive development didn't go as planned. Then 2017-18 happened, and Couturier was placed on the Flyers' first line, centering the two offensive centerpieces of Philadelphia's attack, Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. There, Couturier shined, and since joining that line he's posted back-to-back 76 point seasons. The most remarkable thing about Couturier is how versatile he is. He's an elite defensive center, using his above-average size and strong skating abilities to hound the puck carrier. He's turned himself into one of the league's best faceoff takers and can reliably anchor a first unit penalty kill. Offensively, Couturier is an asset in front of the net and in the corners, but also with his playmaking abilities. He's an underrated shooter and is great at finishing the plays that Giroux and Voracek start. He probably isn't a high-70's point scorer without the work of his two linemates, but that's not to say that Couturier can't drive play. He plays so strong on the puck that his puck control abilities allow him to create enough time and space with the puck to set up his teammates. He's just as comfortable on the PK as he is facilitating a power play, and there are few players who can say the same. Couturier is one of hockey's most valuable centers and should take the place of Claude Giroux as Philadelphia's franchise player once father time catches up to Giroux.
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