How does a head coach (or an organization) justify making your captain and top forward a healthy scratch as you are battling for a playoff spot and every point matters.

We have to assume it is a healthy scratch as he was on the ice during practice.

I've been critical of Torts since he got here, but this just defies logic, no??

Is it official yet? Is Coots definitely scratched?

This will not be good.

I don't think Gurianov even knows where he is at the moment.
- MBFlyerfan

Well he’s certainly getting a fair opportunity to acclimate himself to his new team and system by watching from the press box. Why give a guy with such speed and size a real chance to prove himself?

Evgeny Kuznetsov’s agent Sergei Fedotov said he needed a change of scenery. He got it. Fedotov is Michkov’s agent.

Torts is notorious for putting a drag on youth development. Torts can’t change. It could be triumvirate sacking if they let things go sideways with Michkov.

oh boy
- MBFlyerfan

Good for him standing up for himself. Probably helps Torts get his rocks off since he likes the confrontation.

How many times will this have to happen until the players realize this will be a never ending thing with the coach? Once he is done with Couturier it will be another player. And then another.

So much for that C on his jersey, and so much for that "really close room"...
- Letterkenney

The 'C' stands for sCratch

How does a head coach (or an organization) justify making your captain and top forward a healthy scratch as you are battling for a playoff spot and every point matters.

We have to assume it is a healthy scratch as he was on the ice during practice.

I've been critical of Torts since he got here, but this just defies logic, no??

Is it official yet? Is Coots definitely scratched?

This will not be good.
- cdearth23

Maybe the Captain had a sudden onset mystery injury like Johansen. Or maybe it’s multilayered like Ellis. Maybe we’ll never find out the nature or extent of the injury like Drysdale, Seeler and Risto. Who knows.

I have been fairly optimistic this year once I came around. Had a moment of PTSD when Quitter demanded a trade. Fell back in line. But it’s hard as a Flyers fan not to start having these feelings creep back in to my mind. Is this nothing more than “the more things change the more they remain the same”?

Torts is a festering turd. Can’t wait til he’s gone though my fear is that President Doofus will get rid of Briere before the guy who is really running the organization.

Couts had missed nearly 2 full seasons and was coming off 2 serious back surgeries. So what does our brilliant HC do? He runs him out there for 20+ minutes per night right from the get go. No wonder he’s now out of gas, probably dinged up, and struggling. But here’s the thing, if you look at advanced stats, he is ALWAYS among the top 7-8 forwards each and every damn game! So scratching him is just Torts being a bunghole.

A smart coach, one with enough sense to know that on a rebuilding team, you play the long game, would have started the season with Couts playing a middle 6 role with his minutes carefully monitored. Furthermore, a smart coach would give him ample time off and would probably sit him occasionally in b2b situations.

Torts is self obsessed blowhard who loves playing mind games with his players. He is out of date and out of touch with today’s game. Does he get a lot out of his teams? Yeah, to some degree. But ask yourself this, what would better benefit the team in the long run:
Barely limping into the final playoff spot and getting bounced in round one, or just missing and either way drafting in the 13-17 spot
Or
Playing the long game, not just with Couts, but overall, and finishing with 70-75 points and picking in the 5-8 range with at least some chance of moving up to 1 or 2?

FU Torts
- BiggE

I do not agree with the scratching of Coots. It seems like a panic move and I am very certain it won't work/we'll pay for it dearly with a trouncing. Atkinson, fine but I think it's a little over the top to scratch the C less than a month after giving him the job. Man what a mess.

https://twitter.com/billmeltzer/status/1770127550875856980?s=46&t=w6q3WrhKj3ub3jVkrpV62g

The way he’s been treated around here lately?!?! 😳

THAT is not a good thing to hear from the captain. This is bad.
- mikeyo27

Agreed and I doubt that he is the problem. Is the scratch official?

People in the past complained that coaches didn’t make every player accountable. Couturier has been held scoreless in 15 straight games. He’s still a better option than others who are playing, but if Tortorella scratched everyone who wasn’t playing well they’d have a handful of guys playing. Couturier should have kept it to himself about the way he’s being treated.

People in the past complained that coaches didn’t make every player accountable. Couturier has been held scoreless in 15 straight games. He’s still a better option than others who are playing, but if Tortorella scratched everyone who wasn’t playing well they’d have a handful of guys playing. Couturier should have kept it to himself about the way he’s being treated.
- PLindbergh31

I know that the expectations are higher for Couts, but Laughton went through a terrible stretch and he wasn't healthy scratched. TK has had some slumps, and the same for him. I think this is a matter of trying to get the team to rally for Coots and against the head coach type mind game. We are going to get crushed tonight.

I know that the expectations are higher for Couts, but Laughton went through a terrible stretch and he wasn't healthy scratched. TK has had some slumps, and the same for him. I think this is a matter of trying to get the team to rally for Coots and against the head coach type mind game. We are going to get crushed tonight.
- Hextall271

hope as much $$ on the leafs 3 diff ways...

Couturier, Gurianov and Atkinson also took extra skating at the end of the morning skate, which is another strong indicator that all three will be scratched in the game.

Let the healthy scratching of the captain with 6 years remaining on his contract begin ..

I agree with previous posters that Torts ran him into the ground in the first half of the season.
- Flyers_01

Of course, it has to be Tort's fault .. can't possibly be the guy is injured and needs some time to recover ...

I know that the expectations are higher for Couts, but Laughton went through a terrible stretch and he wasn't healthy scratched. TK has had some slumps, and the same for him. I think this is a matter of trying to get the team to rally for Coots and against the head coach type mind game. We are going to get crushed tonight.
- Hextall271

Imagine losing to the Leafs 9 straight times.

Of course, it has to be Tort's fault .. can't possibly be the guy is injured and needs some time to recover ...

- jd250

Then say he is injured. Its not rocket science.

Of course, it has to be Tort's fault .. can't possibly be the guy is injured and needs some time to recover ...

- jd250

a "healthy" scratch is not scratching due to injury.

He is not being scratched due to an injury. Coots even said as much...

If Coots is REALLY being scratched due to performance issues it is a travesty. I still think this is cloak and dagger stuff covering up an injury. It just makes ZERO sense when you have no depth at center. However, Coots isn't the reason for the collapse. Their schedule has been brutal lately and they basically lost 4 defenseman (Walker, Seeler, Charmain man (Drysdale) and Risto). How many teams are gonna lose their best defense pairing (Seeler and Walker) and just keep chugging along?
- Phillywhiteout

I fully expected these major issues with the current state of the D corps. I am fine with it as we needed to make those trades in the big picture but this whole mess now isn't on Coots. No wonder he's mad. He's either got some nagging injury that can't be addressed or he is simply out of steam from being ridden hard for 20 mins a night early in the year after a 2 yr absence.

Imagine losing to the Leafs 9 straight times.
- PLindbergh31

It's not great at all but that's what will happen.

People in the past complained that coaches didn’t make every player accountable. Couturier has been held scoreless in 15 straight games. He’s still a better option than others who are playing, but if Tortorella scratched everyone who wasn’t playing well they’d have a handful of guys playing. Couturier should have kept it to himself about the way he’s being treated.
- PLindbergh31

Now this is a post I can get behind! If Couts wants to play, how about he play better. A lot of people in this forum talk about the double standard with Frost, well with his diminished ice time and now a potential scratch, it's clear THERE IS NO DOUBLE STANDARD! If Couts can be benched, and Atkinson can be benched, anyone, including Frost can be benched if their play is not up to snuff.

Couturier is giving everything he has. I 100% believe that. The coach is betraying him if you ask me. Used him up and is now throwing him in the trash.
- mickel25

Coots is not producing points or on faceoffs. He should be sat.

Torts sits the young kids when they don't produce and he sits the vets. He said he would do this at the beginning of the season.

Now this is a post I can get behind! If Couts wants to play, how about he play better. A lot of people in this forum talk about the double standard with Frost, well with his diminished ice time and now a potential scratch, it's clear THERE IS NO DOUBLE STANDARD! If Couts can be benched, and Atkinson can be benched, anyone, including Frost can be benched if their play is not up to snuff.
- jd250

If you don’t play well you don’t play. Doesn’t matter who you are. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

Coots is not producing points or on faceoffs. He should be sat.

Torts sits the young kids when they don't produce and he sits the vets. He said he would do this at the beginning of the season.
- WhiskeyMan

He doesn't though. He sits certain young players and veterans when they don't "produce". I will reiterate that Torts made this bed when he overused Coots in the first half of the season.

Then say he is injured. Its not rocket science.
- MBFlyerfan

My problem with this narrative of blaming Torts for running Couts into the ground. Let's presume Couts is not injured because he said he was not. Doesn't this debunk the notion that Torts ran him into the ground? If other centers on the team were playing better earlier in the season (Yes Frost, talking about you), maybe Torts would not have to play Couts 20+ minutes. But regardless, there is no evidence that I have seen or read that points to Couts current play being a result of playing 20+ minutes earlier in the season. Even when Couts was playing 20+ minutes earlier in the season, I didn't think he was playing all that well, in fact he said as much when interviewed, that his game was still a ways off. Over the season, his game just hasn't got there to warrant playing the big minutes. Don't blame the coach, blame the player. The coach is doing what he is supposed to do, coach to win games with the roster he has been given by the GM.

Coots is not producing points or on faceoffs. He should be sat.

Torts sits the young kids when they don't produce and he sits the vets. He said he would do this at the beginning of the season.
- WhiskeyMan

the coach selects who he sits. there is no universal rule he has in place or a one glove fits all policy

in no world should ND be in the lineup and ex selke sat down.

Of course, it has to be Tort's fault .. can't possibly be the guy is injured and needs some time to recover ...

- jd250

Of course you can't put two and two together and read the reports on how Couturier took extra skating both after practice and the morning skate. Indicating he is not injured to the point where he can't play. You also can't put two and two together and see that it has followed a predictable pattern. Demotion followed by diminished ice time followed by a healthy scratch.

If you don’t play well you don’t play. Doesn’t matter who you are. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
- PLindbergh31

That is fine, but it should apply across the board.