Ron Hextall may be rather stubborn about some things — like announcing specific injuries when the replays show exactly what happened.
Or admitting a player needs surgery even when his shoulder is dragging on the ice.
Yet you have to give the Flyers' general manager credit in one area. When Hextall says his philosophy is rooted in player development and giving young men every chance to succeed, there’s no refuting him.
The Flyers' best two-way centerman, Sean Couturier, will miss four weeks or more rehabbing a partial tear of his MCL in his left knee.
Hextall could pick up the phone and make a deal for a replacement. Or he could move versatile forward, Brayden Schenn, into the No. 2 center role.
Neither of those moves, however, speak to the essence of what Hextall stands for: player development and giving young men a chance.
Which is why the decision by Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol to entrust the job on a short-term basis to 23-year-old Nick Cousins has to be applauded.
NHL
There are moments that define a player. Terry Murray took a chance years ago, asking a young Chris Therien to take on Jaromir Jagr head-to-head in games against the Penguins.
It became one the great stories of the 1990s and early 2000s, as Therien was arguably the best shutdown D-man on Jagr in the NHL.
It defined Therien.
Now while Cousins is far from being an experienced two-way centerman of Couturier’s ilk, this move could very well define him. This is Cousins’ chance to grow as a player in his first full NHL season.
“Nick is first and foremost a really smart player,” Hextall said. “He can make plays. He is competitive. He’s got a little bit of an edge to him. He’s proved at every level that he can play in an offensive role and two-way role.
“Now it’s his opportunity to prove it at this level. We can’t just sit and say Cuz is gonna replace Coots. It’s not fair. Coots is a big part of our team. Cuz has got to do his job, no question. Scotty [Laughton] has to do his job. Everybody does. Just give a little more.”
Cousins centered Couturier’s reshuffled line with Travis Konecny and Wayne Simmonds for the first time Wednesday in Tampa. The Flyers blew a 2-1 lead and at least a point they richly deserved mostly because of undisciplined play — seven penalties.
They spent so much time killing penalties that there wasn’t much flow for most of their bench. Too many of their players were gassed by the end of the third period when Tampa rallied for a 4-2 victory (see story).
While Couturier is a vital part of the PK, Cousins is not. He had just 23 seconds on the penalty kill, because it’s not in his repertoire just yet.
And that’s why he logged just 11:59 overall ice time. He sat on the bench too long.
“For the guys who don’t play on the penalty kill, they just sit there for a while,” Cousins said. “I think in the first period, we had four or three penalties, so that obviously disrupts the flow early in the game.
“You are just sitting there on the bench trying to get into the game. It definitely sucks, but at the same time, we have to be more disciplined.”
Cousins relishes the chance he’s going to get over the next 15 or more games.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to show what I can do and get more playing time,” he said. “And as a young guy, that’s all you can ask for.
“I think I can play better than I did [against Tampa Bay]. I got cleaned on faceoffs. Obviously, it wasn’t my best.”
Cousins won just 20 percent of his draws (2 of 10). Couturier wins 49 percent of his draws. Cousins swears he’ll get better on draws. Again, this is a learning process for Cousins.
“I saw his skill at the minor league level,” Hextall said. “He’s come a long way. My first year back here [2013] and he was in Glens Falls, he had a lot of work to do. Give him credit. He learned how to work.
“It’s not that he didn’t want to work. He didn’t know the expectation at the pro level. That first year was a bit of an awakening for him. He worked his tail off to get to this level. We’re asking a lot of him, make no mistake.”
Cousins accepts the responsibility, too. He spent a lot of time in Murray’s office in 2013-14, his first full season in the AHL at Adirondack. What Murray taught Cousins on being a pro has now carried over to the NHL level.
“A lot of meetings after games on stuff I needed to work on,” Cousins said. “Ever since, I took it to heart to be where I am today. I want to be a 200-foot player. I’ve come a long way and still have a ways to go.”
The Flyers are hoping this experience will define Cousins as a player.
“This is the opportunity he would like,” Hextall said. “Offensive/two-way role. He is going to play with really good players and has an opportunity to do what he does, which is to make plays.”
A little over a month from now, we’ll know how it turned out for Nick Cousins.