I honestly think I always knew that in the right place, Coots still had the hockey talent and more importantly, at this stage in his career the high hockey IQ, to play an important role on this team and still contribute. That is a heck of talented hockey player on any “4th line” team.

I have always been a fan of Coots and think it’s a shame that the Flyers wasted the best years of his and Giroux’s career. And good to see him have the self-awareness to accept a reduced role and make the most of it.

But no matter how you dress it, he’s not playing anywhere close to his salary cap hit.

That said, with the cap going up, if they can get 35-40 points a season out of him, along with his defensively sound game, that’s a useful player. Probably still not worth the cap hit but you can live with it. Not ever contract is going to have surplus value anyway.

Great article, Charlie!

Watching tonight’s game with my friend from Pittsburgh, so hopefully we can contain Crosby.

Great stuff Charlie. Love that Coots is finding a way to thrive.

Amid all the playoff coverage of the Flyers, this piece stands out. Thanks, Charlie.

This is an important piece as it highlights not only the Flyers captain but the self-sacrifice of one player who has put team over self. Couturier may not have been the best choice of Flyers captain to start as it seemed like TK was the more natural fit. However, in taking on this 4th line role he finally found his calling as captain, he ignited a line that was dormant and made it a viable line that could not only shit teams down and be physical but add scoring where it previously didn’t exist. It also allowed him to be more effective when he was in there, he no longer needed to be the team’s top scorer, he could lead through a willingness to put his team first over any personal accolades.