Sean Couturier has been one of the Philadelphia Flyers’ most consistent forwards not only in this series but for a few months now. Since embracing a fourth-line role after the Olympic break, Couturier has turned back the clock with effective play at both ends of the ice.
Couturier has found new life as a fourth-line checking center. And while that’s what his role should be in the long-term moving forward, that may not be the case in a short seven-game series.
With Noah Cates out for the series and Christian Dvorak banged up, Couturier deserves to be moved up in the lineup, or at least be given more skilled wingers.
After playing most of the playoffs with Luke Glendening and Garnet Hathaway, we saw what giving Couturier a winger with a bit of skill like Carl Grundstrom can do as the two combined for a goal in Game 2 on Monday night.
Sean Couturier deserves better linemates for rest of playoffs
For as much of a pleasant surprise as Glendening has been, no one is going to confuse him with someone who can put the puck in the net. He’s a fourth-line grinder who can win faceoffs as the team’s only right-handed option in the dot.
Rick Tocchet was asked on Tuesday if he’d consider moving Couturier up the lineup, given his success in the playoffs. He more or less shot it down, saying that he thinks Couturier is in a groove and doesn’t want to mess with what’s working.
However, that was before the Flyers knew that Cates would be out for the series, and Dvorak’s day-to-day status only adds more fuel to the fire.
Tocchet confirmed that Trevor Zegras will move back to center with Cates out, and it’s expected that Dvorak, Couturier, and Denver Barkey will be the other three pivots. Barkey looked good there for the latter half of Game 1 and then again in Game 2.
If Dvorak is unable to play in Game 3, Couturier should absolutely be moved up the lineup to play with better wingers. The Flyers could then play Glendening as the fourth-line center with Hathaway rejoining the lineup on the wing.
But even if Dvorak is able to play in Game 3, moving Couturier up in the lineup should not be ruled out.
This is a must-win game for the Flyers. And while we all want to see the young players get more minutes in the playoffs, winning is the ultimate goal. Winning a game or two at home to extend the series would also allow for those young guys to get more games and more time in intense situations against the Hurricanes.
The Flyers wouldn’t even have to move Couturier that far up the lineup. You could put him as the third-line center in place of Cates with a guy like Tyson Foerster, who is still defensively sound despite his struggles this postseason.
The other winger could then be either Matvei Michkov, who looked at his best in overtime with Cates and Forester in Game 2, or someone like Travis Konecny, who is another strong two-way player for the Flyers. Hell, the options are really endless with Alex Bump or even someone like an injured Owen Tippett slotting in on the third line with Couturier.
Zegras is still going to be one of your top centers. As is Dvorak if he’s playing — although I wouldn’t be opposed to swapping him and Couturier in the lineup.
The key thing is making sure that Couturier doesn’t change the mindset he’s been in for the past two months. He’s been a physical forward in a shutdown role. He can still be that while playing on the third or even second line with wingers that have a bit more skill.
