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Philadelphia Flyers: Sean Couturier has strong case for the Selke Trophy

By Dave Stevenson

VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 12: Philadelphia Flyers Center Sean Couturier (14) waits for a face-off during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on October 12, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 3-2. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 12: Philadelphia Flyers Center Sean Couturier (14) waits for a face-off during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on October 12, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 3-2. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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For years, Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier has been vastly underrated. That has changed, as he should be one of the leading Selke Trophy candidates.

Every year, the Selke Trophy award goes to the forward who “demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game”. This forward is almost always a center, as the past 15 winners have all been centers. Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins is usually the favorite, and though he’s likely going to be a finalist, this appears to be the year Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier finally wins his first Selke Trophy.

Couturier nearly won the award (and arguably should have won it) back in 2017-18, when he finished as the runner-up to Anze Kopitar. And despite arguably being better defensively in 2018-19 than he was in 2017-18, he fell to sixth overall on the Selke ballot. But this year, everything seems to be going Couturier’s way.

All stats are as of March 3, are at 5v5 unless otherwise noted, and are courtesy of NHL.com, Hockey Reference, Natural Stat Trick, Puck IQ, and Evolving Hockey.

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His production (which sadly matters for the Selke) is down a tick, but he’s still producing at an impressive rate.

POINTS PER GAME

  • 2017-18: 0.93
  • 2018-19: 0.95
  • 2019-20: 0.89

Couturier has been outstanding at 5v5. He’s among the top 25 forwards in 5v5 points and is 30th in 5v5 points per hour among forwards with at least 600 minutes at 5v5. That’s pretty impressive considering he plays over 35% of his minutes against elite competition.

DEFENSE

But enough about his production. Defense is what matters for the Selke Trophy. As great as he is on offense, Couturier truly shines on defense. If you like faceoffs, his 59.2% faceoff win percentage is second in the NHL (min. 800 faceoffs).

While Couturier has only played roughly two minutes per game shorthanded, it’s worth noting that’s right around where he was back in 2018 when he finished in second place. Also, his relative underlying stats are great across the board on the penalty kill.

Couturier plays a shade under of 20 minutes per game, which is a decrease from his previous two seasons, but he’s arguably been more effective this season. I’d chalk that up to the Flyers being smart and keeping him fresh more than him being unable to handle a larger workload. That said, at 19:49 per game, he’s still in the top 30 among forwards, so it’s not like he has it easy.

His underlying stats, though, are where he stands out. Here’s how Couturier ranks in various stats among forwards with at least 500 5v5 minutes.

  • Relative CorsiFor percentage: 7.15% (7th)
  • Relative GoalsFor percentage: 14.05% (14th)
  • Relative xGF% (expected goals for percentage): 7.85% (14th)

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With his impressive resume and his strong defensive numbers, Couturier’s probably the favorite to win the Selke at this point. However, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan O’Reilly, and Anthony Cirelli (among others) aren’t far behind him, so it’s still anyone’s race. For the moment, though, Couturier controls his own destiny.

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