PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers took a huge step backwards last season in part because neither Sean Couturier nor Cam Atkinson played a single shift.
Couturier - who won the Selke Trophy in 2020 - has been dealing with extensive back issues and hasn't played since December 2021, while Atkinson - a one-time 41-goal scorer - underwent surgery to repair a neck issue late last year.
Their absences were among the reasons why the Flyers bottomed out with 75 points, and why a new era guided by president of hockey operations Keith Jones and general manager Daniel Briere is being ushered in.
What are the expectations for these two heading into 2023-24?
For Couturier, the challenge will be getting back to speed and shaking off the rust after not playing and even taking contact for almost two years.
"That's a long time, and he's going to have to get through the rigors of the game, and they're going to have to play in the preseason to find out," says Locked on Flyers co-host Russ Cohen.
Couturier apparently felt ready near the end of last season, but the Flyers didn't feel it was worth testing his back with the team already so far out of a playoff spot.
As for Atkinson, co-host Rachel Donner says "there are risks in terms of fitness and mobility," and there's going to be a lot of attention paid to his on and off ice activities in training camp and during the preseason.
Both, Donner notes, will play limited minutes and have some measure of load management placed on them.
Their returns would also drastically shift the depth chart and line combinations, which Cohen and Donner also break down.
If one or both integrate back into the lineup full time, the Flyers would be better off, but neither can be counted on to be fully back until they prove capable of handling those rigors of NHL hockey.
Either way, the Flyers are a building squad, and their position in the standings is as tenuous as the status of both Couturier and Atkinson.