Couture, the Sharks captain, has been out with a fractured ankle sustained when he fell into the boards against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 7. He was expected to need at least six weeks to recover; Tuesday marks seven weeks since he was injured.
Goalie Aaron Dell will start for the Sharks, who have lost their past four games, and will be playing for the first time since trading forwards Patrick Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Barclay Goodrow to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
The Flyers, who have won three straight games and are 12-4-1 in their past 17, will have forwards Derek Grant and Nate Thompson, each acquired in trades Monday, in the lineup.
Carter Hart will start for Philadelphia, which is three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for second in the Metropolitan Division, and one point ahead of the fourth-place New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets.