Flyers’ Sean Couturier, Cam York move forward after not seeing eye-to-eye with John Tortorella

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VOORHEES, New Jersey — Until the Philadelphia Flyers decide on their next full time head coach, the aura of former coach and outsized presence John Tortorella will continue to waft through the nooks and crannies of their training facility, where, on Friday, the majority of players cleaned out their personal spaces, the disappointing 2024-25 season now over.

Tortorella’s name was mentioned frequently in the days and weeks after his surprise firing on March 27. Friday was no different, as a dozen players and interim coach Brad Shaw met with the media for the final time.

For some, Tortorella continues to be viewed in a positive light. The coach helped a number of the Flyers’ young players, and even a few notable middle-aged players in Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny, take sizable leaps in their careers. They’re appreciative of that and aren’t afraid to say so.

But others had different experiences: captain Sean Couturier and defenseman Cam York among them.

The Couturier situation is particularly puzzling. Couturier confirmed on Friday that he didn’t have much of a relationship with his now former coach, and that he was clearly unhappy with the way he was deployed by Tortorella.

“I just felt at times I was getting pushed aside,” Couturier said. “I didn’t know the reason, or maybe wouldn’t agree with the explanations, or whatever was given to me. … It is what it is. Didn’t agree with the way I was getting pushed aside. I was just trying to not be a distraction and keep my mouth shut, put in the extra effort to try to get back to where I should be.”

Couturier finished with a respectable stat line when all was said and done. In 79 games, he posted 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points, good for third on the team in scoring.

And, in contrast to how he finished last season when his scoring dried up and he seemed to slow down, Couturier played some of his best hockey at the end. In the final 13 games, Couturier posted five goals and eight assists for 13 points, playing mostly between Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny. He went from averaging 16:59 of ice time under Tortorella to 19:44 after Shaw took over.

After missing nearly two full seasons before returning in 2023-24, Couturier indicated he was more in tune with his body this season. That helped.

“Last year it almost felt like every week (there were) just little nagging injuries that it’s almost like I forgot what it is to go through an 82-game season, the grind of it. I think my body was definitely probably more ready to take the hits this year.”

Couturier continued: “I think the last probably 20, 25 games was more where I should be as a player. I thought I finished the year pretty good. … Going to try and build off these last 20-some games and go into the summer, work hard, and come back motivated for a big year next year.”

Shaw also touched on Couturier, making clear his admiration for the 32-year-old center.

“It’s been impressive to watch him inch his way back to real close to where he was when he was in the Selke voting, and all that,” Shaw said. “Obviously he’s gone through a real tough (sports hernia) surgery (last summer), so I’m not sure how close he gets, but I’ve been really impressed with the drive he has to try and get back there and to provide that example for the rest of the young guys.”

One of those young guys is York, who turned 24 in January. The defensemen went from 30 points in 82 games last season to 17 points in 66 games this season, and, of course, was in the spotlight after an incident with Tortorella in Toronto on March 25 precipitated the coach’s firing and resulted in York’s getting suspended for the first game in which Shaw was in charge.

Part of York’s step backward this season seems to stem from a shoulder injury that he incurred in a game in Washington on Oct. 23, which forced him from the lineup for 13 games. York said it took him “two-ish” weeks to feel himself after he returned from that injury, but also acknowledged that “throughout the year it was something we were kind of working on.”

York said that late in the season, and presumably after the Tortorella firing, he was “able to play with a bit more freedom. Maybe not gripping the stick as tight. As a player, that’s everything, in a way. It felt good to kind of get back to that, and have that mindset.”

He was asked if the tension between him and Tortorella, which seemed to be building before the incident in Toronto as the defenseman was healthy scratched twice, contributed to his apparent tightness before that.

“I don’t think I had necessarily much of a leash,” he said. “At the end of the day I didn’t play to the level that I can, and I think that’s the most frustrating thing for me. You can say what you want about me and the coach, but at the end of the day, I didn’t do my part and didn’t play good enough on my end.”

Oddly, York was the only regular Flyers defenseman who didn’t seem to get much time on the power play — which, again, was near the bottom of the league, finishing 30th overall. That was a part of the game he excelled at before the Flyers selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft, and which he played on a not-infrequent basis in previous seasons.

Whether keeping York off the power play was Tortorella’s call or assistant coach Rocky Thompson’s is unclear. While York admitted that being on the power play would have “(helped) my numbers a little bit,” he didn’t appear overly disdainful of the season-long decision to keep him on the bench when the club enjoyed a man advantage.

“It’s just not how it worked out this year,” he said. “That’s alright, I focused on my five-on-five game and tried to be the best that I could there. I would have loved to (be on the power play), but it’s just not how it happened.”

The timeline for the Flyers to name a new head coach is unclear. When it happens, the page will finally be fully turned on the Tortorella era. Every player will get a fresh start, as the organization attempts to build on some of the things that Tortorella put into place. The intention will be to get better next season, something Briere will inevitably mention when he holds his own season-ending news conference on Saturday.

Couturier is already looking forward to that.

“I don’t have as many years as there used to be, so I don’t want to say that the clock is ticking, but I want to win before I’m done playing,” Couturier said. “Hopefully we can turn this around quick and get back into contention mode, where this organization deserves to be.”

(Photo: Daniel Kucin Jr. / Imagn Images)

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