The Flyers are doing exit interviews on Thursday, and captain Sean Couturier was asked if he feels like his benching could have been handled better, by him, Torts, or anyone really:

“I’ve tried not to look back at it honestly, it’s behind me now. I didn’t want to be a distraction or anything, I thought actually the team responded well with three points out of four the next two games. That’s all that mattered really. I may have got caught up in some comments that were a little blown out of proportion, I think just through my emotions, but like I said, it’s behind me and it is what it is. The boys got 3 out of 4 so that’s all that mattered at that point in the year.”

Coots is taking the Oasis approach to his benching. You can’t look back in anger. And he’s probably referring to the comments from morning skate about a month ago, when he said  “I’ve been putting the work in for a while. I’ve been struggling, but I’ve been working on my game, and it’s frustrating the way I’ve been treated around here lately. But it is what it is.” He missed two games and then re-entered the lineup.

In a follow up, he was asked about repairing things with Torts behind the scenes:

“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll have some conversations here down the road. We’ve had some since. It’s all good. We’ve moved on and we’re gonna keep building this team to the next level.”

They’re gonna have to have some conversations, because you’re not trading Coots or waiving him. He’s got six more years on his deal at a little less than $8 million per with a no movement clause, which, even if he waived that, who is showing interest in a 31 year old who hit the physical wall after missing almost two full seasons due to the back injury? They just need Coots to find himself physically again, and get back to being even 75% of the player he was a few years ago.