It has not been an easy few days for Sean Couturier. It hasn’t been an easy season, either.
“It’s been tough at moments,” Couturier admitted. “The last couple of games I’ve gotten some pretty good scoring chances. When you get scoring chances, it’s just a matter of time until you find the back of the net.”
The center has looked lost now and then this season -- a stark contrast when compared to the player he was a year ago, a poised newcomer who found his way early and contributed often. That hasn’t always been the case this season.
Couturier went a long time between goals this year. He went more than two months, actually. And then, finally, he broke his slump when he put a puck past Canadiens goaltender Carey Price in the second period of Wednesday’s 5-3 win over Montreal at the Wells Fargo Center (see game story).
When he scored, Couturier’s excitement was evident. He gave a double fist pump and screamed as his teammates swarmed him.
“It’s good for the confidence, get the monkey off the back,” Couturier said. “It’s been a while. It’s nice to find the back of the net."
A year ago, as a rookie, the 6-3, 197-pound center appeared in 77 games for the Flyers. He played well, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists. He proved that he belonged. He was plus-18 last season. But that was last season, and last season seems like a long time ago for him.
This year has not gone nearly as well as Couturier might have hoped. Going into Wednesday’s game against Montreal, Couturier had two goals and seven assists in 33 outings. He was minus-12. Not surprisingly, he saw his ice time dip as the season went along and he continued to struggle. Two weeks ago, he played barely eight minutes against the Lightning, and last week he notched just 10 minutes against the Rangers. Against the Canadiens, however, Couturier played more than 15 minutes.
“Sean is a good player,” Claude Giroux insisted. “He brings a lot to this team in faceoffs. He kills a lot of penalties. If he scores or not, he’s still playing good. We’re not worried about him. But obviously I think [the goal] is going to take a little pressure off of him.”
So, too, will the fact that the trade deadline came and went without Couturier being asked to pack his bags and head to the airport.
Couturier is still young. He turned 20 years old this past December. His career isn’t so much about yesterday or today as it is about tomorrow and all the days after that. He’s about promise and potential and what he can do for a team moving forward -- which is why his name was whispered in so many potential trade reports before Wednesday’s deadline.
Depending on which rumors you believe, the Ottawa Senators, among other teams, were interested in Couturier. And yet he remains in Philadelphia.
“I’m young,” Couturier said. “When big names come in, my name is always going to get thrown around. I try not to think about it and just play the game and do what I can do.”