San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture could possibly miss start of season with lower-body injury

San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn mentioned on Tuesday morning that it’s a possibility that center Logan Couture’s lower-body injury could result in him missing the start of the season.

Couture, 34, suffered the lower-body injury during his offseason training, and was announced at the start of Sharks training camp that he would be week-to-week while recovering from the injury. Quinn addressed the injury again on Tuesday, saying that they’d rather be cautious and bring Couture back a week late than a week too soon.

The Sharks captain may also become the subject of trade rumours over the course of the season, as Sharks general manager Mike Grier suggested that they’d be open to trading both Couture and Tomas Hertl. However, that may be easier said than done, as Couture has four years remaining on his contract with an $8 million cap hit and Hertl has seven remaining on his deal with an $8,137,500 cap hit.

Couture had a bounce-back season in 2022-23, as he managed to get 27 goals, 40 assists, and 67 points in 82 games. It was the first time he had 25+ goals and 60+ points in a season since the 2018-19 season that saw the Sharks make a run to the Western Conference Final, and it’s the second-highest point total in his career.

Couture was the ninth overall selection of the 2007 NHL Draft for the Sharks, and has spent the entirety of his 14-season career in the NHL with San Jose. He’s held the Sharks captaincy since the 2019-20 season, and is the 13th captain in Sharks franchise history.

The Sharks are coming off a season that saw them finish with the fourth-worst record in the league, and they look poised to do so again this season after offloading their best player last season in Erik Karlsson. In return, the Sharks added Mike Hoffman, Jan Rutta, and Mikael Granlund in return in the deal, along with adding Anthony Duclair, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Filip Zadina through trade and free agency.