Dec 31, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) and Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (14) watch game play from the bench against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
I know the keyboard warriors are going to go nuts with this, but I've finally had enough the past 48 hours.
Twitter (yeah, I know it's X now, but it reads better as Twitter), is a cesspool. It has been for years.
But Flyers Twitter? It's a godless hellscape.
Y'all on Flyers Twitter need to get some chill. Things should not be this insane 15 games into a season where the team has a winning record. Calm. Down.
If I can make one recommendation to Flyers fans from this point forward - avoid it. Forever.
Look, I know I have to wade through the quagmire of toxicity, regularly. I don't like it, but it comes with the job. If I didn't do what I do for a living, I'd never venture into that rotting underbelly.
But because I do, I am frequently splattered with nonsensical bile like what has transpired this weekend when it comes to Sean Couturier and Matvei Michkov.
I don't want to platform the folks who are putting this nonsense out there, but there's enough of them that it needs to be addressed.
There's a belief - a fetid, gross one infecting your timelines - that Sean Couturier was out of line for "criticizing" Michkov after a game, and that the captain is somehow driving a wedge between the team and its best young talent.
I want to say, you can't make this crap up, but apparently, you can.
What did Coots say that was so damning?
Here's the quote.
"Yeah, he's a great goal scorer and has a lot of skill. I think you just got to find a way to contribute to helping the team win in other ways when you're struggling," Couturier said. "You're not always going to be scoring goals every game. I've seen improvement in the way he's not cheating as much and being on the right side of pucks. I'm sure it's a little different for him, but if he sticks to playing the right way I think its going to better for him overall.
"I think you can tell (Saturday) he was trying to make a lot of plays with the puck and holding on to the puck. I think he's definitely feeling good about himself."
Why anyone should have a problem with this quote is beyond me. But I do understand that sometimes things are taken out of context, and so, without perspective I could maybe, possibly, squint and see why someone would wonder why Couturier was talking about Michkov struggling.
But I would hope that if you were wondering that, you would seek out an answer to that question before passing judgment.
Not Flyers Twitter.
Nope, the slingers of mud that like to operate in that moral graveyard, immediately decided that not only was Couturier out of line, but that he was driving that wedge between Michkov and the team and even should be jettisoned because he's a relic from an era of a failed culture of Flyers hockey.
If you believe any of that, I assure you, it's baseless drivel.
If you were part of creating that narrative and spreading it to try and infect the minds of those who take what they read on social media as gospel, get help. Seriously.
Now, for what really happened, followed by some perspective.
Following the Flyers 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, in which Michkov scored his second goal in as many nights, we met with several players in the locker room, including Couturier.
It was becoming obvious to us, as observers of the team, that there had been an uptick in Michkov's game the last couple outings - not coincidentally, he scored a goal in each of them.
So, it was the story to write about. I did. Others did as well.
The best guys to talk to in that case are the player himself. The coach. And the captain of the team, who just so happens, in this case, to be Michkov's linemate.
We spoke to Michkov first. He was as open as he's been all season about his offseason training being different. About losing concentration earlier in the season. About his body feeling heavy with the added pressure of not scoring.
It was an enlightening interview. So, we followed up by going to Couturier to talk to him about it.
That quote from earlier by Couturier was actually an answer to two different questions.
The first was this, word for word:
"Matvei was just saying that he was maybe feeling some pressure to score a goal and that the goal in Nashville was a little bit of a weight off of him," asked Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. "What have you guys done to try to keep him, sort of, on the level, and keep his frustration levels low and his confidence high as he's kind of worked his way through this?"
Changes the meaning behind the first part of the answer a little bit, doesn't it?
In other words, Coots was telling us what things they were saying to Michkov to let him know that he can still help the team even though he's not scoring goals. It was more of an encouragement to help him recognize that there's more to the game than just lighting the lamp. That if he plays the right way he could still help the team win without getting on the scoresheet.
The second question, was a simple follow up. It was mine.
"Have you sensed that weight off his shoulders after scoring that goal in Nashville and then tonight as well," I asked.
That led to the second part of Couturier's answer about Michkov holding on to the puck and making plays with the puck.
The whole thing was a totally legitimate response from Couturier. As the captain, he is a little bit of an extension of the coaching staff. He's saying the same things the coaches are saying. They are in lockstep.
Now, here's the part that the cretins on Flyers Twitter don't know, because they can't know from the comfort of sitting anonymously behind a keyboard tweeting from parts unknown:
Michkov trusts Couturier. Big time. He likes having him as part of discussions about hockey strategy and the right way to play. Conversely, Couturier relishes his role as the team leader and to being a mentor for Michkov.
They have a very good relationship. A great example of that was expressed in a story by Jordan Hall of NBCS Philly on Sunday. If you missed it, read it.
The captain and the 20-year-old budding star have built a solid bond in their 16 months as teammates. Couturier acknowledges that the process is slower because of communication hurdles, but they both believe in and trust one another.
If you know Sean Couturier the person, you will know that there's nothing fake about him. He's as genuine as they come. There's a reason why he's so well-respected in the locker room. There's a reason why Michkov gravitates toward him.
Why anyone who calls themselves a Flyers fan, or who comments on the team without this direct perspective would want to wreck that is beyond me.
One last thing, it's also clear that these social media provocateurs want to say that those of us who cover the team are akin to a state-run media. That we allegedly do or say whatever the team wants us to say.
pretty clear the entire Flyers beat woke up to a text from Danny this morning. State media at its finest! https://t.co/FQFOnWkOfI
This is a classic move by purveyors of misinformation. They have no hard evidence, so when their initial hot takes are proved flimsy by media members or others that aren't in the media, they do anything to sow distrust in those same folks who disproved their stuff.
I can tell you the local teams are not happy with the media on more occasions than fans care to realize. From small little things that never become public to big blow ups that get tons of attention.
It's a never-ending back and forth that won't change any time soon. There will be times we write something positive where certain people will think we're kissing ass, and there are times we will write something negative and certain other people will think we're being unfair.
In the Venn diagram of those people, it's the ones in the intersection who will complain in both instances. Those are the ones that tick me off - and if you truly care about your favorite teams, should tick you off, too. Because those are the people who have an agenda.
And too many of them crawl around Flyers Twitter.
