San Jose Sharks: Logan Couture should be the next team’s captain

The San Jose Sharks are without a captain the night before training camp opens. Logan Couture is set to skate in his 11th season with the Sharks and here is why he should be the next captain.

At the start of the 2019-20 season, the San Jose Sharks will have a new player with a ‘C’ on their chest. That player should be Logan Couture.

With former captain Joe Pavelski leaving in free agency, head coach Peter DeBoer and general manager Doug Wilson will now have to decide who will have the responsibility of being the captain of the team.

And with training camp opening on September 12th, all veterans will be making their case for that letter ‘C.’ Here in the fanbase, most people have an idea on who will be the lucky player to be named the next captain of thSharks.

All throughout last season, Logan Couture showed why he should be the next captain of the Sharks with his leadership on and off the ice. This season, he may be rewarded for that leadership with being named the next Sharks captain.

Since Logan Couture was drafted ninth overall in the 2007 NHL draft, he has been a staple of the Sharks team. He is a reliable person on the ice as seven out of his first 10 seasons he has played more than 50 games.

On top of that, he has also totaled more than 60 points four separate times including 70 in the last season.

In the Sharks organization, he sits fourth all-time in goals with 240, sixth all-time in games played with 663, and fourth all-time in points with 507.

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One stat that a lot of people don’t think about is game-winning goals. Couture is third all-time in game-winning goals with 43 through his first 10 seasons with the Sharks. In 2018, Couture and Team Teal agreed on an eight-year $64 million contract extension.

This was a much-deserved extension as he has been that consistent player every team looks for. The next step in rewarding him would be giving him the responsibility and privilege of wearing the ‘C’ for next season.

All throughout San Jose Sharks history, the players to have the ‘C’ on their chest have been top of the line individuals. A few that come to mind are Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, and the aforementioned Joe Pavelski.

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When you look at all of these players, you see that they are not only leaders but also players who produce on the ice in high numbers. All three former captains are listed in the top three of every major category except one.

These three former captains are prime examples of what a captain should be. Two of the three are going to be in the Hall of Fame when they retire and one of them may be there if he continues to produce the way he did with the Sharks.

When looking at Logan Couture you see a little of every former captain in him that makes him the perfect candidate for the next captain of the San Jose Sharks.

Nothing is set in stone as it’s unclear if the Sharks are even going to have a captain for all of next season, as there are multiple players who would make great captains.

But Logan Couture is the best bet on who will be wearing the ‘C’ on their chest for the 2019-20 NHL season.