Flyers GM Ron Hextall Gives Timeline for Sean Couturier's Knee Injury

Sean Couturier will be out four weeks and miss the majority of preseason games after sustaining a knee injury on Aug. 10 in Canada.

According to general manager Ron Hextall on Wednesday, the Flyers' No. 1 center suffered the setback at a charity event in Quebec City. He returned to Philadelphia shortly after to meet with team physicians.

The latest injury is not an aggravation of the MCL injury he sustained back in April, although it is the same knee in which he tore the ligament after colliding with defenseman Radko Gudas during a practice ahead of Game 4 in the first round of the playoffs.

"It's not the exact same spot," Hextall said. "This type of injury heals fairly quickly. It was a play in front of the net and there was a rebound and his leg just went the wrong way. It was more of a freak play than anything."

Once he returns, Couturier will wear a knee brace. He'll be skating and going through non-contact drills at the start of camp that begins on Sept. 14.

"We anticipate Sean participating partially at the start of training camp and then halfway through camp we believe he'll be full go and participating in the last number of preseason games," Hextall said.

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Couturier missed Game 4 of the Flyers' series against the Penguins, but returned to play in the final two games, which included his heroic five-point effort in an 8-5 loss in Game 6 that eliminated the Flyers from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Couturier made a full recovery over the summer without surgery.

The 25-year-old center is coming off a career season, scoring 31 goals along with 76 points and finishing second in voting for the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward.

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