Naming Sean Couturier the Philadelphia Flyers' twentieth captain in team history makes sense. The longtime center has proven healthy following his extended rehabilitation from injury.
So, the organization believes he will be on the ice regularly. That factor played into him being named captain.
Travis Konecny was named assistant captain, joining Scott Laughton, who wore the team's lone designated leadership letter. That elevation also makes sense, as the Flyers forward and recent All-Star has come into his own. But strategy may also be part of the timing of Couturier and Konecny's elevations.
Laughton's current contract runs through the 2025-26 season. The March 8 National Hockey League trade deadline can be counted in days, with this assistant captain widely believed to be a hot topic among various NHL brass.
Ryan Poehling recently signed a deal that extends him through the 2025-26 season. Securing the first-year Flyer allows the organization to deal Laughton for a likely good return without creating an extra hole on next season's roster.
Add
to the Poehling news, it can only be assumed that President Keith
Jones, General Manager Danny Briere, and Head Coach John Tortorella
did not want to elevate one player (or two) to the official
leadership group due to a trade. While they could have gone without
any assigned letters, the leadership announcements, only weeks before March 8, could imply that the organization
anticipates trading Laughton.
Jones, Briere, and Tortorella have routinely shared the same message. The rebuild is on, and the plan will remain unchanged, even if the team continues to play toward a playoff berth. Using that logic, trading Laughton (who turns 30 on May 30) for a solid return would further the rebuild.
Like Couturier and Konecny, Laughton has only ever played for the Flyers, doing so since he was 18 in the 2012-13 season. Couturier and Konecny first played when they were 19.
Because the team now has a new captain and assistant captain, dealing Laughton would only reduce one A, rather than leave the Flyers with no lettered sweaters.
