Tonight, Couturier, 18, is expected to remain in the Flyers' lineup for his all-important 10th game of the season, which would allow the counter to finally start ticking on his 3-year, entry-level deal.
That also meant Couturier's final audition - his final chance to sell the Flyers on whether to keep him or send him back to the Quebec Major Junior League - was last night against the Canadiens, a team he grew up watching in French-speaking Bathurst, New Brunswick.
Couturier said yesterday he was "still waiting to hear" about the Flyers' final decision.
"I'm still taking this one game at a time," he said before the game. "The adaptation is going well. I'm still trying to keep working hard and soaking in the moment."
The consensus within the Flyers organization is that Couturier, who has played a rather significant role on the first penalty-killing unit, can continue to learn on the job, as he has established himself as a player who "gets it" and fits in well with the team's style and identity.
"He came in touted as a smart player defensively, someone who is as good in the defensive zone as he is in the offensive zone," coach Peter Laviolette said. "We've put him in situations, 5-on-4, 5-on-3, against top players, to see how he'd respond, and he's done everything that we've asked him to do and do it well. He's been a nice addition."
Couturier acknowledged yesterday he was surprised Laviolette has had so much confidence in him early in the season. That confidence hasn't waned. But with the addition of Brayden Schenn to the roster last week, Couturier's minutes have dwindled.
Since Schenn joined the team, Couturier's average minutes went from 15:34 per game to 10:04 over the three previous games before last night's 13:12. His even-strength time had been shaved from 10:13 per game to 7:41, before last night's 8:29.
