John Tortorella healthy scratches team captain in shocking move
John Tortorella has a well-earned reputation in hockey for being one of the most intense and demanding coaches still in the NHL. Tortorella has never been afraid to make a bold move if he believes it's best for the team, and tomorrow night, he's making a huge one by scratching their team captain Sean Couturier.
The decision comes after Couturier has seen his life time significantly decrease in recent weeks, getting as low as 11 minutes last game. Tortorella has a simple explanation though - he simply needs to play better. He doesn't care if you're the 31 year old team captain recently signed to a $7.75M contract. If you're not playing well on Tortorella's team, you won't play at all.
Couturier didn't have a very emphatic response, only noting that he isn't in control of the lineup decisions and that he might need to prepare himself better for games. It feels like an underwhelming response from something as significant as the team captain being healthy scratched.
That said, John Tortorella has been instrumental in taking this year's Flyers to new heights. After being projected to be one of the worst teams in the league, the Flyers have shocked everyone and are squarely in a playoff spot in the Metro division. Even losing their goalie in Carter Hart, the Flyers have continued to persevere and compete - a lot of that has to do with Tortorella's accountability.
| POLL | ||
MARS 18 | 416 ANSWERS John Tortorella healthy scratches team captain in shocking move Will the Flyers win a playoff round? | ||
| Yes, they're built for playoffs | 86 | 20.7 % |
| No, they don't have the talent | 241 | 57.9 % |
| They'll crash and miss playoffs | 89 | 21.4 % |
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