Sharks GM Grier: Couture trade rumours ‘absolutely false’
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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier made it clear Monday that the club has no plans to trade captain Logan Couture this offseason.
“And just one more thing I want to put to bed for you media guys. Stuff is out there that I'm looking to trade Logan Couture or anything like that. That is absolutely false," Grier said, per NHL.com. "If you look at us bringing in young players and having a young team, he is exactly the type of person you want to have around your young players. He's our captain, he's our leader.
"He had a tough year, but we love him as a person most importantly, and he's still a heck of a hockey player."
Couture, 35, played just six games last season due to hip and groin injuries. He missed the first 45 games of the campaign after initially sustaining the injury during the off-season. He returned on Jan. 20 and played six games before aggravating the injury, causing him to miss the rest of the season. He registered one assist in six games.
The Guelph, Ont., native said he planned on resuming skating in July and that he wishes to remain in San Jose, where he has spent his entire 15-year NHL career.
"I love San Jose. I believe in what they're doing here," Couture said on April 20 at the Sharks’ end-of-season availability. "Obviously a terrible, terrible season, but I think this is rock bottom. I think they're growing this organization in the proper way even though you may not see it right now with how tough the season was.
"It's tough. Losing [stinks]. I was fortunate to be here through many, many great years. I hope that we can get back there. I hope I'm around this team when we get back to that point."
Couture made his debut with the team in the 2009-10 season, recording five goals and nine points in 25 games. He finished second in Calder Trophy voting, losing to then Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner, in his first full season, when he scored 32 goals and 56 points.
He has played a total of 933 games with the Sharks, tallying 323 goals and 378 points.
Couture has three years remaining on the eight-year, $64 million extension he signed with the club in 2018. The contract carries a modified no-trade clause which allows Couture to submit a list of three teams he would accept a trade to.
"We'll see. I'm 35. The clock for me playing in this league is on the back nine," Couture said. "But yeah, I want to win. I miss playing in the playoffs. You want a definitive answer, but yeah, I'm going to try to get back to playing."
The Sharks own the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and are widely expected to select forward Macklin Celebrini, adding to a young core that includes 2023 fourth overall pick Will Smith, who led the NCAA in scoring with 71 points this past season as well as established NHL talents in William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund.
"There are reasons for Sharks fans to be excited," Couture said. "I get to see it on a daily basis. [Eklund], [Zetterlund] younger guys that are going to be good NHL players, and you know I watched Will Smith play on television like you guys all do, and he looks like he's going to be a good player."
The club hired Ryan Warsofsky last week to be their new head coach after firing David Quinn earlier in the offseason. The 36-year-old, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant under Quinn, is the youngest coach in the NHL.
The Sharks finished last in the NHL last season with a 19-54-9 record, and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season.