The dog days of summer might be upon us, but President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones still needed to give fans of the Philadelphia Flyers something to think about this week. He spoke at the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan about the long-term health of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson. Cutter Gauthier also chimed in with an explanation of his offseason timeline.
Health of Couturier, Atkinson
Jones spoke about an assumption that most fans and media members already had about the two veteran forwards. The organization expects them to meet their timelines and return 100% healthy to begin training camp in September.
“The end of last season, they were ready to come back then. So, now they’re getting a full offseason of training and getting ready to prepare for the rigors of a long regular season. All indications are that they are full-go, and we’re really excited about that,” the newly-hired executive told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.
Couturier hoped to rejoin the Flyers in the final stretch of 2022-23 after they had been eliminated from playoff contention. The organization ultimately decided to keep him out for the entire season. The 2023-24 opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 12 is just shy of two calendar years since his last NHL action in December 2021, a span of 135 regular-season games. He’s recovered from two back surgeries in the meantime. His contract carries a $7.75 million annual cap hit through 2029-30.
Atkinson spoke during his exit interview in April about the frustration of missing the entirety of 2022-23 due to injury. After a period of uncertainty through the first two months of the regular season, he finally had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck in December 2022. The 34-year-old has two years remaining on his contract with a $5.875 million annual cap hit.
Related: 8 Opposing Players Flyers Fans Love To Hate
The updates, or just simply the lack of news about any setbacks, is an improvement over the news the organization has dealt with in offseasons in recent history. Head coach John Tortorella spoke candidly on March 17 about the magnitude of the problems the Flyers have had navigating the health of their players in recent seasons.
“I didn’t realize when I took the job how long some of the medical problems (were) and how things were being handled. It’s been going on for years here. It’s not criticizing any one person, but it’s been a mess. It’s still something that’s on one of our main burners to continue to get better. I think we have stabilized it,” Tortorella said.
Gauthier Speaks Up About Absence
Gauthier participated in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Michigan. His success with Team USA at the World Championship in Finland and Latvia in May created some buzz about his rise as a top NHL prospect. However, he unexpectedly decided not to attend Flyers Development Camp in July.
“It was a little bit too much hockey after Worlds. It was just too much for me. I wanted time with the family. So, I figured it was best to stay home,” Gauthier told Kimelman. “After talking to (general manager) Danny (Briere), obviously it wasn’t his favorite thing, but it was best for me.”
The Flyers are still confident in their commitment to Gauthier, the fifth-overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-2 sniper plans to play his sophomore season at Boston College in 2023-24, and he could potentially turn pro after the NCAA season ends. Briere indicated on July 1 that he was caught off guard by Gauthier’s decision to miss development camp.
Gauthier and Devin Kaplan played for Team USA White at the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase. The two former teammates with the US National Team Development Program were Philadelphia’s first two draft picks in 2022. Cole Knuble, a fourth-round pick in 2023, played for Team USA Blue.
Loose Pucks
The Flyers announced their new jersey numbers for the 2023-24 season. Newcomers Garnet Hathaway, Cal Petersen, Ryan Poehling, Marc Staal, and Sean Walker account for five of the 11 new numbers, but six jersey number changes for players who had previously played NHL games will surely confuse fans with images grandfathered into their heads.
Broad Street Hockey pointed out the bold choice by Wade Allison to wear #17, the same number that Wayne Simmonds, Rod Brind’Amour, and Jeff Carter wore in orange and black. After such a down period in franchise history, the Flyers can use any positive spin the local media gives them. That includes jersey number breakdowns in August.
