Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet dropped an interesting tidbit on Tuesday just outside of the visitors\u2019 dressing room at Prudential Center, a few hours before the game against the New Jersey Devils.<\/p>\n
Following the Flyers\u2019 massive 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday, the coach didn\u2019t speak to his team afterward. He preferred that captain Sean Couturier do it instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the game the other night, I wanted him to talk,\u201d Tocchet said. \u201cIt\u2019s his team. Things like that \u2014 he\u2019s really helped me as being an extension of the coaching staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick Seeler touched on that moment after the Flyers\u2019 5-1 win over New Jersey on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, we know how important Coots is to this group,\u201d Seeler said. \u201cCaptain of our team, great leader. He says something when he needs to, right? Guys listen. He\u2019s been vocal this last few weeks, and he knows the importance of these games.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Flyers consider Couturier and his veteran leadership even more vital to the group now, given how young their top nine is. After they added 19-year-old Porter Martone, the average age of the Flyers\u2019 forward group on their top three lines is 24.9 years old. The only player who has hit 30 is Christian Dvorak, whose birthday was two months ago.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s particularly impressed management lately is how Couturier, who went through a dreadful 31-game goal drought earlier, has bought into his new role on the fourth line.<\/p>\n
Tocchet moved him to that line on March 7 after the trade deadline, and Couturier\u2019s ice time has dropped from 17 minutes, 9 seconds per game to an even 15 minutes ahead of Thursday\u2019s game with the Red Wings. Couturier has four goals and 25 hits (fifth on the team) since getting dropped down the lineup, and has been more noticeable.<\/p>\n
Also giving that line a boost has been Luke Glendening, who has one goal and three assists in 13 games and is fourth on the Flyers in hits with 27 since he arrived. A team source acknowledged that Glendening, who had zero goals and just four assists in 52 games at the time the Flyers claimed him off waivers from the Devils on March 6, has exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n
Glendening, a right-handed faceoff guy, was the primary reason the Flyers added him. However, he\u2019s developed chemistry with Couturier, has proven to be an adept penalty killer and has 50 games of playoff experience, including with the Dallas Stars in 2022-23, when they advanced to the Western Conference final.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day in this league is a blessing,\u201d Glendening said in Los Angeles on March 19, \u201cand as you get older, you realize that more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
How did the Flyers get Martone signed less than 24 hours after Michigan State was eliminated in the NCAA Tournament?<\/p>\n
Much of the credit should be given to assistant general manager Barry Hanrahan, who, according to a team source, was instrumental in staying on top of the legal paperwork, including immigration, well ahead of Martone\u2019s final college game.<\/p>\n
Hanrahan and Martone\u2019s agent, Paul Capizzano, had everything lined up to be able to move quickly. The contract was the easy part, according to a Flyers team source, as it was simple in terms of compensation based on where Martone was drafted.<\/p>\n
The Flyers were also appreciative of Michigan State allowing them to maintain open lines of communication with Martone throughout his season there.<\/p>\n