Flyers' Sean Couturier out rest of season following back surgery

The Philadelphia Flyers will be without alternate captain Sean Couturier for the remainder of the season after he underwent successful back surgery Friday morning. The procedure was performed by Dr. Jon Yoon at Pennsylvania Hospital. General manager Chuck Fletcher explained that the recovery period is approximately three months, and the medical staff is confident Couturier will be back to full strength in time for training camp.

Fletcher explained that surgery is also potentially on the table for Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes, giving the latter a “50-50” chance to return this season.

The tenor of Fletcher’s press conference Friday was clearly one of defeat as he looks forward to next season. The 2021-22 campaign is basically already over for the Flyers despite them having played just 46 games. With a 15-23-8 record, major injuries to several key players and a Metropolitan Division that contains several difficult opponents, the playoffs are off the table for the eighth-place Flyers.

Once again these announcements will lead to plenty of speculation about the future of Claude Giroux, who remains one of the top trade candidates in the league. The veteran forward is on an expiring contract and is now on a team that not only is losing games, but also top players seemingly every few days.