When last seen on an NHL ice surface, the Flyers' Sean Couturier was putting up five points -- a hat trick and two assists -- in Game 6 of Philadelphia's first-round loss to the Penguins, despite playing on a torn MCL.
Well, the player they call "Coots" is out again with an injury suffered to the same right knee while playing in a charity game in his native Quebec. He is expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks.
That timeline means that Couturier will miss most, if not all, of training camp but is expected to return for the start of the regular season.
Couturier’s injury happened Aug. 10 in Quebec, an “innocent play” Ron Hextall said. Expects Couturier to be a partial participant at start of training camp.
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) August 22, 2018
No surgery was required on his knee in April. Couturier suffered the injury in practice after a collision with teammate Radko Gudas between Games 3 and 4 against the Penguins.
Couturier, 25, is coming off a career year in which he set personal highs with 31 goals, 45 assists and 76 points -- 37 more than his previous best -- while centering a line with Claude Giroux, the NHL's second-leading scorer. He finished second to Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar in Selke Trophy voting.
The Penguins, who beat the Flyers in six games last spring, do not face Philadelphia until Dec. 1 at PPG Paints Arena, the first of four meetings between the in-state rivals. The Flyers will host the Penguins on Feb. 23 at Lincoln Financial Field in a Stadium Series game.