Hayes and Couturier: Ready to Roll

The 2021-22 season was the hardest one of Flyers center Kevin Hayes' life. A finalist for the Masterton Trophy, Hayes dealt with a combination of injuries (multiple core muscle surgeries within a single calendar year including one to clean out a severe infection) and the anguish of coping with the untimely passing of his brother, Jimmy.

On the ice, it took nearly three-quarters of the season until Hayes was physically able to stay in the Flyers' lineup. He missed the first 12 games of the season while rehabbing from Sept. surgery. However, it quickly became clear that the player was struggling physically.
Through his first 20 games, Hayes posted just nine points (3g, 6a). Beyond point totals, his skating was noticeably labored and he struggled in puck battles he'd normally win.
"I think it was obvious to anyone that knows the game that when I was trying to come back, I wasn't fully 100 percent," Hayes said on Monday of this week at a press conference held at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees.
"I think I was 100 percent of what I could have at that time. But the infection was what was holding me back that we had no idea about."

Hayes was shut down again in mid-January. Further medical evaluation revealed that he had sustained a severe infection after one of the two previous surgeries. The infection had spread well beyond the surgical area to the groin and leg. He'd have to undergo another procedure to clean out the infection.
Hayes returned on March 5. This time, he was legitimately feeling better. He still was not 100 percent but he was able to play without restrictions and the discomfort level was more manageable. Although the Flyers' teamwide fortunes on the ice did not improve, Hayes' individual play was a bright spot.
Over his final 28 games of last season, Hayes posted 22 points (7g, 15a). More importantly, his overall game looked to be getting back on track. He played some of his best games since the COVID-related suspension of the 2019-20 season.
The player's strong finish to last season gave him an emotional and mental lift. For the first time in two years, was able to undergo a "normal" offseason of rest, off-ice training and on-ice work that ramped up over the course of the summer. He now feels fully healthy.
"There were times last year where I was leaving games where I was questioning whether I'd ever feel good ever again," Hayes said.
"It was nice to know that I could play hockey again and enjoy myself and not worry about my groins every shift I'm on the ice. So that was the main reason why I came back, and it cleared a lot of mental thoughts up for me, and I'm hoping that it stays that way."
Sean Couturier, meanwhile, had nearly as tough of a 2021-22 season from an injury standpoint as teammate Hayes. Things started out well, with the former Selke Trophy-winning center racking up 12 points (5g, 7a) through the season's first 10 games. Not coincidentally, the Flyers posted a 6-2-2 record to open the season.
Unfortunately, the strong start didn't last for the team for the player. The Flyers sank as the season progressed. Couturier, meanwhile, began to labor physically. Couturier publicly downplayed the notion that he was trying to play through an injury that was severe enough to keep him out of the lineup. He has never been one to use injury as an excuse.

Nonetheless, something was clearly wrong with Couturier beyond the fact that he'd posted just one goal and five points in his last 19 games after the hot start. Both the eye test and the player's underlying numbers suggested that there was a step drop in his overall effectiveness. It wasn't just a scoring slump.
Finally, Couturier was shut down in mid-December. In February, he underwent back surgery and was ruled out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season; the longest stretch of hockey he has missed in his career.
The bright side, if there was one, was that the prognosis was promising for a complete recovery for the start of training camp. The recovery and rehab process, however, would not always be one of continuous improvement.
"It was longer than I thought," Couturier said on Monday. "I'm a guy who wants to get back out there quicker than I should be. This one was a little more frustrating because I had to be patient and not push it too hard - and make sure it was healing the right way."
Couturier said he now feels physically back to where he was before the injury. Recently, he was fully cleared not only to skate but to get back into game action.
"I feel good now. As I understand it, the issue should not crop up again [on its own]. But hockey is a physical sport, so anything can happen," he said
As with Hayes late last season, Couturier's next objective is to re-establish his ability to play to the standards that he expects of himself.
"I want to prove I'm healthy again and be back to the player I was. And maybe even better. I'm going to push myself," Couturier said.