Will Couture Be Ready Opening Night? ‘Things are looking promising’

David Quinn is still optimistic that Logan Couture will be ready by opening night.

Last Thursday, the San Jose Sharks announced that their captain would miss the beginning of training camp with a lower-body injury. In his own words, Couture said he suffered the injury “trying to skate and ramp up” for camp.

When asked if he’d be ready for opening night on Oct. 12, Couture could only say, “I’ll do everything I possibly can. That’s all I can give you.”

Couture Out With Week-to-Week Lower-Body Injury

“He feels like he will be, but with the injury he’s got, you’re just not sure,” Quinn acknowledged last Thursday. “So we will go week to week, re-evaluate him after the next four or five days.”

On Tuesday, Quinn said that Couture wouldn’t hit the ice yet this week.

“I’d rather bring him back a week late than a week early,” the San Jose Sharks bench boss said. Quinn noted that it was the type of injury that risked re-aggravation.

“I’d love to have him play all 82 games,” Quinn said. “But first and foremost, our priority for him is his health. He’s someone that you’re going to have to maybe talk him off trying to get back in sooner than he probably should. So it’s on us to manage him and put him in the best position, when he comes back, to make sure he’s in for good.”

That sounded like things were going the wrong way for the San Jose Sharks’ top returning scorer, at least in respect to opening night.

But today, it looks like the arrow is pointing up once again for Couture.

I asked Quinn how Couture’s re-evaluation came out.

“Things are looking promising,” Quinn told San Jose Hockey Now. “You might see him on the ice soon.”

Like opening night promising?

“If he can get on the ice and start practicing, that gives him two weeks, so there’s a chance for that,” Quinn said.

While Couture still won’t skate this weekend, perhaps he’ll start next week? If he starts skating on Monday, that’ll give him 10 days to get ready for the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center on Oct. 12.