Sheng Peng
Logan Couture reminded the hockey world that he has plenty of game left with a career-high five-point night in the San Jose Sharks’ 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
The 33-year-old pivot has scored four points four times – on April 18, 2013 against the Minnesota Wild, Feb. 11, 2016 versus the Calgary Flames, Oct. 17, 2017 against the Montreal Canadiens, and Nov. 7, 2019 versus the Wild, all at home – but never five points. Couture scored both the game-winner and the empty-netter that sealed the win over the Pens, and added three assists.
There’s been a lot of discourse recently, as Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson trade rumors swirl around the 15-25-11 Sharks, about trading the captain. And who would want Couture and the four years with an $8 million dollar AAV left on his contract after this season?
I can tell you, and I’ve had this same exact conversation with multiple NHL hockey ops people from outside the San Jose Sharks organization this season: Couture’s contract is indeed too rich, and his age as the deal advances is also nerve-wracking. But everybody also says that right now, he would be a perfect second-line center for any Cup contender in need.
He’s got skill – Couture is on pace for 31 goals and 37 assists this season, which would be a career-high in points and the fourth time that he’s topped 30 goals.
Per SPORTLOGiQ, at mid-season, Couture was second to Karlsson on the Sharks in Slot Pass Completions and fourth in Offense-Generating Plays Per 20 at 5-on-5.
He’s a leader.
24-year-old Noah Gregor, the third-youngest Shark right now, shared how Couture has connected with him over the years, since his rookie season in 2019-20: “Even when I was first coming into the league, he was always talking to me through the summer. And as a young guy, that’s great to have your captain keep in touch with you.
“Now as I’ve been in the league for a little bit longer here, he’s helped me along the way. We’ve become great friends. He’s a great teammate.”
Head coach David Quinn has regular conversations about the state of the Sharks with Couture: “He’s a great example of what you want your franchise to be. It’s not easy situation for him. Certainly, the season hasn’t gone the way any of us thought we would. He’s voiced his frustration to me on a couple of occasion, feel like we played a lot better than our record, and he can’t believe we have the record we have as a lot of us have alluded to, but we do.
“But he keeps coming to the rink everyday and putting forth an incredible effort. He’s got so much respect not only from the players, but from the coaches, staff, and anybody around our organization.”
He’s going to win battles for you during the playoffs.
Per SPORTLOGiQ, the 33-year-old leads the Sharks in Puck Battle Wins Per 20 at 5-on-5.
He’s a detail-oriented player who can be in trusted in any situation.
Couture, according to Natural Stat Trick, has been charged with the toughest zone starts and Defensive Zone faceoff rates of any Sharks forward over the last three years. There’s a reason for that.
He’s also on the Sharks’ top power play and penalty kill units.
And yes, he’s a player who is thought of, league-wide, as someone who will raise his game during the post-season.
Couture currently averages 0.75 Points Per Game in the regular season, which jumps to 0.87 in the playoffs. Industry consensus, that’s a real thing, you can count on him for another level in the post-season.
Okay, so he’s the captain of a San Jose Sharks squad that has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons and counting. The size of his contract suggests that he maybe should be game-changer, and he’s not.
But that’s not all Couture’s fault: He didn’t write his own check in Jul. 2018, when he signed his maximum extension. And in defense of GM Doug Wilson who did, those were pre-pandemic times with expectations that the salary cap would skyrocket in the coming years.
So there’s a market out there for Couture, for sure. But it would depend on two factors.
First, how much would the San Jose Sharks retain on the remainder of Couture’s contract? They’re currently retaining 34 percent of Brent Burns’s also eight-year, $64 million dollar deal, which expires in 2024-25.
Couture and Burns, along with other Sharks, had dinner together this past week in Carolina, and you have to wonder if Couture looked at Burns, and the 31-9-8 Carolina Hurricanes, and thought about what life would be like on a Cup contender once again.
That’s just speculation though: Time and time again, Couture has stressed that he’s happy in San Jose, he’s getting married this summer, and has pointed out himself that Burns was 36 at the time of the trade with the Canes. So the 33-year-old isn’t quite there yet, and seems prepared to lead the Sharks through the woods for at least another couple years.
And that’s the second factor: Couture has a limited no-trade clause. There are just three teams that San Jose can trade him to without his consent. So on paper, he basically controls where he goes. And GM Mike Grier, just like he did for Burns, isn’t going to trade Couture away, I think, unless the captain wants to leave.
I know there are cries to hurry along the perhaps inevitable San Jose Sharks’ rebuild by dealing Couture, but it’s not so simple.
And it’s not like the Sharks are missing out on a bounty by not trading Couture: His contract and age, like the Burns trade, will likely cap the value of his return. In my opinion, you’re not missing out on a potential first-round pick or a Grade-A prospect. So that’s another reason for Grier to not push his captain out the door.
An NHL scout countered though: “I think they could get something pretty solid if they retained [a Burns-like amount]. Younger than Burns, so not as much risk for the acquiring team.”
Burns netted Steven Lorentz, prospect Eetu Makiniemi, and a 2023 third-round pick. That’s a solid group of assets, but a little light too for a player of Burns’s caliber.
The scout mused: “If you have Couture at 5.3 AAV, that’s real good value.”
In that case, he thinks that the San Jose Sharks could net a late first-rounder or a very good prospect for Couture.
Food for thought for Grier?