Over/Under: Sean Couturier
Posted 11:15 AM ET | Comments 1
Over/Under is a blog series that will analyze players around the league who fall into one of two categories: Overrated, or Underrated. First up is Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers. Wait, isn't he too young to fall into one of these categories? Not whatsoever. Let the analysis being!
Sean Couturier, a 20 year old center for the Philadelphia Flyers, is best known for his defensive, shutdown abilities. Most famously, Couturier is known for successfully shutting down Pittsburgh Penguins' star center Evgeni Malkin on a regular basis. In 12 games Couturier held Malkin to just 3 assists when the two were on the ice together. For any player this is an incredible feat, but is even greater when considering Couturier is only 20 years of age.
One aspect of Couturier’s game that seems to be extremely underrated is his offensive skill and upside. In his final two seasons with the Drummondville Voltigeurs he scored 192 points in just 126 games. At one point in his junior career Couturier was projected to be selected first overall at the NHL Entry Draft, but due to a sickness he was forced to miss a chunk of games at the end of his final season. That resulted in his stock falling quite a bit, with an expected draft position somewhere around the mid-late first round.
The Flyers got a steal drafting him with the 8th overall pick, and it was assumed Couts would spend the next year developing his game back in the junior league with the Voltigeurs. However, with an impressive training camp Couturier was given a spot on the Flyers’ roster for opening night versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. His play during the game was so impressive that head coach Peter Laviolette saw fit to have him playing on the second penalty killing unit during the second and third periods, as well as play prime minutes towards the end of a very close game.
Instead of being sent down back to the minors before his entry-level contract would be initiated the Flyers decided to give Sean a shot with the club. He spent the year playing mainly third-line minutes as a shutdown forward, as well as centering the second penalty killing unit. Because of that his production of points was down, so many started to doubt his actual offensive ability and potential.
The following year Couturier played with the Adirondack Phantoms during the NHL Lockout. In 31 games he posted 28 points, second to Brayden Schenn who had 33 points in 33 games. Upon returning to the Flyers, Couturier was placed back into his role a shutdown forward and penalty killer, seeing very limited powerplay time.
Couturier has been playing some of the fiercest competition and toughest minutes in the entire league. A stat not often talked about is Corsi Rel QoC. Essentially, the stat measures the quality of competition a player faces. Couturiers rank at the end of the season was an astounding 18th. What’s even more astonishing is that over 60% of his zone starts took place in his defensive zone. If that’s not enough, while primarily playing alongside Mike Knuble and Max Talbot, his shot differental waspositive. Over the last five years only five forwards have done the same with a Corsi Rel QoC rating of at least 0.7. This isn’t a knock against Talbot or Knuble, but they’re not exactly pushing the play at a high pace in the offensive zone.
So, what does this mean? That’s tough to say. Couturier is clearly a gifted defensive player, and has the ability to become a high-scoring forward. However, can the two mesh? There are not many players who are as elite offensively as they are defensively. Names that come to mind are Pavel Datsyuk and Jonathan Toews. Could Couturier be the next Datsyuk? That remains to be seen, but the potential is there. It all depends on if he can use his size and scoring ability in conjunction with his great defensive play, which takes quite a bit of development. It wasn’t until his fifth season with the Red Wings that Datsyuk was putting up over a point-per-game, and scored just 35 points in his rookie year.
Now, am I making claims that Couturier is the next Datsyuk? Absolutely not! As a Flyers fan I would love nothing more than that to come to pass, but in reality it seems like a long shot. The potential is there, but it's going to take some serious work and dedication to refining his skill and learning how to score while playing key shutdown minutes. If he can do that there's no denying he will be not only a defensive nightmare to play against, but a threat to score at any moment.
Sean Couturier, a 20 year old center for the Philadelphia Flyers, is best known for his defensive, shutdown abilities. Most famously, Couturier is known for successfully shutting down Pittsburgh Penguins' star center Evgeni Malkin on a regular basis. In 12 games Couturier held Malkin to just 3 assists when the two were on the ice together. For any player this is an incredible feat, but is even greater when considering Couturier is only 20 years of age.
One aspect of Couturier’s game that seems to be extremely underrated is his offensive skill and upside. In his final two seasons with the Drummondville Voltigeurs he scored 192 points in just 126 games. At one point in his junior career Couturier was projected to be selected first overall at the NHL Entry Draft, but due to a sickness he was forced to miss a chunk of games at the end of his final season. That resulted in his stock falling quite a bit, with an expected draft position somewhere around the mid-late first round.
The Flyers got a steal drafting him with the 8th overall pick, and it was assumed Couts would spend the next year developing his game back in the junior league with the Voltigeurs. However, with an impressive training camp Couturier was given a spot on the Flyers’ roster for opening night versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. His play during the game was so impressive that head coach Peter Laviolette saw fit to have him playing on the second penalty killing unit during the second and third periods, as well as play prime minutes towards the end of a very close game.
Instead of being sent down back to the minors before his entry-level contract would be initiated the Flyers decided to give Sean a shot with the club. He spent the year playing mainly third-line minutes as a shutdown forward, as well as centering the second penalty killing unit. Because of that his production of points was down, so many started to doubt his actual offensive ability and potential.
The following year Couturier played with the Adirondack Phantoms during the NHL Lockout. In 31 games he posted 28 points, second to Brayden Schenn who had 33 points in 33 games. Upon returning to the Flyers, Couturier was placed back into his role a shutdown forward and penalty killer, seeing very limited powerplay time.
Couturier has been playing some of the fiercest competition and toughest minutes in the entire league. A stat not often talked about is Corsi Rel QoC. Essentially, the stat measures the quality of competition a player faces. Couturiers rank at the end of the season was an astounding 18th. What’s even more astonishing is that over 60% of his zone starts took place in his defensive zone. If that’s not enough, while primarily playing alongside Mike Knuble and Max Talbot, his shot differental waspositive. Over the last five years only five forwards have done the same with a Corsi Rel QoC rating of at least 0.7. This isn’t a knock against Talbot or Knuble, but they’re not exactly pushing the play at a high pace in the offensive zone.
So, what does this mean? That’s tough to say. Couturier is clearly a gifted defensive player, and has the ability to become a high-scoring forward. However, can the two mesh? There are not many players who are as elite offensively as they are defensively. Names that come to mind are Pavel Datsyuk and Jonathan Toews. Could Couturier be the next Datsyuk? That remains to be seen, but the potential is there. It all depends on if he can use his size and scoring ability in conjunction with his great defensive play, which takes quite a bit of development. It wasn’t until his fifth season with the Red Wings that Datsyuk was putting up over a point-per-game, and scored just 35 points in his rookie year.
Now, am I making claims that Couturier is the next Datsyuk? Absolutely not! As a Flyers fan I would love nothing more than that to come to pass, but in reality it seems like a long shot. The potential is there, but it's going to take some serious work and dedication to refining his skill and learning how to score while playing key shutdown minutes. If he can do that there's no denying he will be not only a defensive nightmare to play against, but a threat to score at any moment.
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