BREAKING: Quinn Expects Couture To Play on Upcoming Sharks’ Road Trip

Logan Couture may be nearing the end of his long journey back to the San Jose Sharks.

Head coach David Quinn said today that Couture, who’s been out all season with a lower-body injury, will travel with the Sharks on their upcoming five-game road trip – with the expectation that he might play in Canada, Buffalo, or Chicago.

This also doesn’t exclude the possibility that the San Jose Sharks captain could make his season debut on Saturday at SAP Center versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, their last game before their trip, which starts in Toronto on Jan. 9.

He won’t be in the line-up tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.

The next step for Couture?

“Just more practices,” Quinn said. “Just get through more practices.”

The San Jose Sharks bench boss also shared that he’s chatted with Couture about which position to start him at, center or wing. While Couture is a natural pivot, San Jose has two top-six centermen in Tomas Hertl and Mikael Granlund who have excelled this season.

“We’ve talked both scenarios,” he said. “Haven’t really made a decision.”

Having a conversation about that kind of nitty-gritty detail is a sure sign that Couture is trending toward a return soon.

However, it’s worth noting once again that Couture’s injury is a tricky one, which both the coach and captain both describe as taking it day-by-day as opposed to injury designation day-to-day.

“If he does play, we don’t want there to be any potential setback,” Quinn said. “You want [him] to be 100 percent.”