Sharks’ Couture expected to sign contract extension.
Veteran reportedly set to ink eight-year deal as early as Sunday
SAN JOSE >> Logan Couture has always said he wants to remain with the Sharks long-term. According to a report, he’s about to get his wish.
Couture is expected to sign an eight-year contract extension with the Sharks in early July, possibly as soon as Sunday, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic said Wednesday on TSN. The center’s contract would begin in 2019 and run through the 2026-27 season.
Couture, 29, is entering the final season of a five-year, $30 million deal he signed with the Sharks in 2013. Sunday is the first day NHL players who still have a year remaining on their existing deals can finalize new contracts with their present teams.
The Sharks took the same approach last July 1 as they locked up defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goalie Martin Jones for the long-term. Vlasic received an eight-year extension worth $56 million, and Jones inked a six-year, $34.5 million deal. Both contracts kick in this fall.
There was no word on how much Couture’s deal would be worth, although that could potentially hinge on whether the Sharks can sign pending unrestricted free agent John Tavares of the New York Islanders.
The Sharks were among six teams that met with Tavares and his agent, Pat Brisson, this week at the Creative Artists Agency office in Los Angeles, with owner Hasso Plattner, general manager Doug Wilson and coach Pete DeBoer part of the sales pitch.
The other teams that met with Tavares were Toronto, the New York Islanders, Boston, Tampa Bay and Dallas.
The earliest Tavares can sign with another team is Sunday, and if he does join the Sharks, he would almost certainly become the team’s highest-paid player
ahead of defenseman Brent Burns, who signed a $64 million deal in November of 2016 that began this past season. Evander Kane signed a seven-year, $49 million deal in May.
The Sharks, according to capfriendly.com, have $18.8 million in salary cap space for next season with Chris Tierney, Tomas Hertl and likely Joe Thornton still left to sign.
Speaking with reporters
May 8 after the Sharks were eliminated from the playoffs, Couture left no doubt he wanted to remain in San Jose, saying, “I’ve always made it pretty clear that this is the place I want to play. I’m biased, obviously, but this is the best place to play hockey in the world.”
Couture, an alternate captain, led the Sharks this past season with 34 goals in 78 games, and was third on the team with 61 points. In nine years, all with the Sharks, Couture has 437 points in 582 regular season games. He also has 81
points in 96 playoff games, including 30 points in 2016 when San Jose advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
Couture, who was drafted ninth overall by the Sharks in 2007, is also San Jose’s best two-way forward, killing penalties and routinely lining up against the opposing team’s top offensive line.
“His play spoke volumes,” Wilson said of Couture in May. “When guys went down or (Patrick Marleau) wasn’t coming back, guys stepping up and showing what they’re made of. They’re ready to
have even bigger roles on this team.
“He’s played internationally. People respect what Logan Couture has done. You take a look at the numbers, what he did a couple of years ago, what he did this year, in the playoffs — he’s a really important part of this organization both now and the future, absolutely.”
Under terms from the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, eight years is the maximum length contract extensions can be for a team re-signing its own players.