Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier didn’t mince words when addressing his strained relationship with former head coach John Tortorella.
Speaking to reporters following his exit interview on Friday, Couturier revealed he felt marginalized by Tortorella throughout the season.
“I just felt that at times, I was getting pushed aside,” Couturier told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel. “I didn’t know the reason, or maybe wouldn’t agree with the explanations that were given to me.”
Sean Couturier admitted he didn’t have much of a relationship with John Tortorella
— Colin Newby (@ToNewbyginnings) April 18, 2025
“I just felt at times I was getting pushed aside. I didn’t know the reason or maybe didn’t agree with the explanations.”
“I was just trying to not be a distraction, and keep my mouth shut.” pic.twitter.com/B2qEqYHLlo
The relationship fractured visibly in March 2024 when Tortorella benched Couturier for two games — just one month after naming him captain. The veteran center disclosed he never received a clear explanation for being made a healthy scratch.
“I don’t know,” Couturier said. “I think if you look at the way he wanted us to play — fast, speed, quick on pucks — it’s maybe not fully my type of game. Throughout my career, I was never the fastest guy, but I still found a way to be first on pucks.”
Couturier also pointed to his diminished ice time as evidence of the disconnect, as he averaged just 18 minutes per game under Tortorella.
“If you look at the minutes, I think it tells you how I was being marginalized,” he explained. “Didn’t agree with it, but I just tried not to be a distraction and keep my mouth shut. Put in the extra effort to try to get back to where I should be. A lot of it is on me, too. At times, I needed to play better.”
The 32-year-old center added: “It’s behind us now. Moving forward, whoever’s here, we’ll be buying in and doing whatever we can to get back in the winning column and return to the playoffs.”
Tortorella was fired on March 27 with nine games remaining in the Flyers’ regular season. His dismissal came during Philadelphia’s six-game losing streak and following controversial comments after a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we’re at right now,” Tortorella said in what became his final press conference.
In three seasons with Philadelphia, Tortorella compiled a 97-107-33 record with 227 points. Couturier finished the season with 15 goals and 45 points.
