Tortorella says Atkinson must 'wait his turn' after healthy scratch

After missing Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning as a healthy scratch, it doesn't sound as though Cam Atkinson's return to the Philadelphia Flyers' lineup is imminent.

"He's going to wait his turn, and if I think it's time for him to come back in, I hope he sticks in," head coach John Tortorella told the media Thursday. "It really isn't confusing for me. I respect all our athletes no matter what their status is - veteran, young guy, this, that, the other thing.

"I just try to keep it right on the table: If you play well, you're going to get more minutes. If you play really bad, you're out, and I'm going to try someone else, and you're going to have to wait your turn. It's pretty simple."

Atkinson hasn't recorded a point in his last 11 games and is a minus-7 over that span.

He was also a healthy scratch Jan. 4 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Atkinson played the following game.

The 34-year-old missed the entire 2022-23 campaign because of a neck injury. He got off to a strong start this season with eight goals and 12 points through 16 games, but he's registered just five tallies and 16 points in his last 42 outings.

Tortorella hasn't been shy about sitting his players. Morgan Frost was in and out of the lineup earlier this campaign and watched six straight games from the press box in October. Kevin Hayes expressed his displeasure after being scratched last season in December 2022, as did Tony DeAngelo when he was benched for the last five games of the 2022-23 campaign.

Even Sean Couturier's playing time has decreased as he's put up two points in six games since being named captain Feb. 14. His ice time has dipped below 13 minutes twice during that stretch, and he centered the fourth line Tuesday.

"I'm not going to run the bench based on what people think about you or where you sit as a veteran guy, a captain," Tortorella said. "I just don't do it that way."

He added: "I think Coots understands how he's played, what's going on with his game. But I'm not going to give something for free just because of his status."

The Flyers next play the Washington Capitals on Friday.