San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture is expected to announce the end of his playing career on Tuesday
San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture is expected to announce the end of his playing career on Tuesday
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SAN JOSE – When the San Jose Sharks and then-captain Joe Pavelski could not come to a contract agreement in 2019 – leading Pavelski to sign with the Dallas Stars as a free agent — Logan Couture seemed like a logical choice to succeed him in that role.
Couture was a first-round draft pick by the Sharks in 2007, had become one of the team’s leading scorers through his first nine-plus seasons in the NHL, and had already been an alternate captain for four years.
Now that Couture is expected to announce Tuesday, after a lengthy NHL career, that his playing days are over due to health reasons, the Sharks might decide to have another player wear the ‘C’ next season.
Couture isn’t officially retiring, as he has two years remaining on his eight-year contract. So whether he remains captain — if he has no intention of resuming his playing career — is a question the Sharks will have to answer.
But if the Sharks do name a successor to Couture later this year, who should it be?
Here are a few candidates.
Mario Ferraro, defenseman
The 26-year-old Ferraro, now in his sixth NHL season, all with the Sharks, embodies many of the characteristics needed to be a captain. Ferraro is not only the biggest vocal presence in the room, but he also has a significant role on the team and backs up what he says with his willingness to put his body on the line.
Ferraro is young enough to relate to some of the Sharks’ less-experienced players but has also been around long enough to have the respect of the older veterans. He is also in his fourth year as a Sharks alternate captain.
But what perhaps works against Ferraro is that he’s entering a contract year and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 without a new deal. If the Sharks are well out of the playoff picture again next season, he could be sent to a contender at the trade deadline.
Tyler Toffoli, winger
Toffoli, a Stanley Cup champion who will turn 33 later this month, is just finishing his first season in San Jose, but he’s already exhibited some needed leadership qualities.
Toffoli has developed a close bond and has been a valuable resource for rookie forwards Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith throughout the season and isn’t afraid to speak his mind when it’s time to say what’s needed.
Following the Sharks’ 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday, when he scored his 30th goal of the season, Toffoli sent a message of sorts to his teammates, saying, “I think if everyone reflects in the right way going into the summer and comes into training camp next year, it can be a completely different season.”
“As much as (he) wants to score, he wants to win,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Toffoli. “That’s what we need around here. We need guys who want to win and love to win. That’s what (Toffoli) is all about.”
Toffoli is signed through the 2027-28 season, and if he becomes captain, he would provide a natural succession plan once a member of the Sharks’ young core is ready to take on that role.
Speaking of which …
Macklin Celebrini, center
Celebrini, drafted No. 1 overall by San Jose last year, has been everything the Sharks hoped he would be in his first season as a professional. Entering Wednesday’s season finale against the Edmonton Oilers, Celebrini has a team-leading 63 points, and his 25 goals lead all NHL rookies.
“Macklin is going to be extremely special,” Warsofsky said last month. “And I’m not even talking about the goal-scoring ability. (It’s) the way he competes, the way he plays a 200-foot game at 18 years old, the way he drags people into the fight with his leadership. It’s fun to sit there in the front row and watch it.”
It’s not unprecedented for a teenager to be named a captain of an NHL team. In Oct. 2016, the Oilers gave the ‘C’ to then-19-year-old Connor McDavid, who was entering his second year in the league. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog were also named captains when they were 19 in 2007 and 2012, respectively.
Still, the more orthodox path to captaincy for players is to spend a few years in the league, put down roots, and then start to wear the ‘C’ in their early-to-mid-twenties. Recent examples include Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk, New Jersey’s Nico Hischier, Montreal’s Nick Suzuki, and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov.