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Flyers' Couturier looking to take more 'calculated risks' with Simmonds on his wing

Eric Hartline / USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall is on record as saying he wants center Sean Couturier to "push harder north" in an attempt to add some offensive production to his strong defensive game (see below). In the early days of training camp, head coach Craig Berube put Wayne Simmonds on Couturier's wing, and is hoping to see positive results at both ends of the ice.

“They are a shutdown unit that plays against top lines sometimes, but that doesn't meant they can’t score,” Berube said, as per CSN Philly. “You have to be able to play both sides and produce offensively.”

Couturier, who possesses Selke-level abilities when it comes to shutting down the opposition, believes the addition of the more offensively-minded Simmonds could push him to new heights in the offensive zone:

(Simmonds) can help me create some chances and get some goals. He has a way to score goals. He knows where to be. Having a guy like that on my line, I have to take more risks offensively and maybe, it can help us score more. I am still a young player, learning a lot. The first couple years, I have played solid defensively, and not taken a lot of chances offensively. If I want to establish myself as a two-way player, I will have to take more calculated risks. Create more opportunities.

For his part, Simmonds contends Couturier could "put up a ton of points" if used in an offensive role, but the center is setting more modest expectations for the future: “I know eventually, I can be a 50-point guy,” Couturier said. “It’s up to me. Put in around 20 goals. Maybe 40-45 assists.”

Last season's Selke Trophy winner - Patrice Bergeron - recorded 62 points in 2013-14, meaning Couturier could indeed put himself in the conversation of the NHL's best two-way forward with that kind of production.

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