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Couturier stronger, faster after rough sophomore season

Sean Couturier

Philadelphia Flyers’ Sean Couturier in action during an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

AP

Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier’s second season in the NHL hardly went as planned. He seemed to regress defensively and ended up with just 15 points in 46 games. The good news is that sophomore slumps are nothing new and third-year rebounds happen too.

When asked what he needs to improve on in 2013-14, Couturier told CSN Philly, “I think my whole game.”

If there was a silver lining to the Flyers missing the playoffs, it’s that it gave Couturier a longer offseason to work towards that. He added roughly eight pounds over the summer and his burst speed has improved.

“The first 10 feet is where he needed to be quicker,” Flyers assistant coach Craig Berube said. “That’s where people like Jake Voracek get away from guys -- they get off, then they’re gone. That’s where he had to get quicker for me. Once he gets going, he’s fine. You pull away from people and create space for yourself.”

Couturier had two assists in Monday’s preseason contest, but he was playing on a line with Jason Akeson and Voracek. When the season opens, he’ll likely be skating alongside Matt Read and one of Marcel Noebels, Tye McGinn, and Michael Raffl on the team’s third line.

Philadelphia isn’t counting on the 20-year-old forward to break out in 2013-14, but they do need his line to be sound defensively and chip in a bit offensively. Whether or not Couturier is a major factor in how effective Philadelphia’s bottom-six is this season.

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