John Tortorella scratches one of his General Manager's favorite players as he sends a message to the entire team

According to FlyersNation, Tortorella has scratched De Travis Sanheim this afternoon ahead of their game against the Calgary Flames. Obviously, no reason for the scratch has been given, but it seems a little odd after Chuck Fletcher re-signed him to an eight-year contract, 50 million dollar extension on opening night in October only to be a healthy scratch.

Tortorella has a history of making players sit out to try and send the team a message and it appears today Sanheim drew the short straw. Sanheim reportedly has friends and family in the crowd today as he played his Western Hockey League years with the Calgary Hitmen.

While this is the first time Sanheim has been scratched this season it's certainly not the first time a highly-paid player has been scratched this season. Kevin Hayes, Tony DeAngelo, and Rasmus Ristolainen have fallen to Tortorella and his decisions to send a message to the team.

Sanheim for his efforts has taken a step back this seasons last year's campaign was his best yet.

This is another case of Tortorella trying to send a message, will this one be heard in the locker room?