[News] Sharks Captain Logan Couture retiring due to health issues

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

The Sharks are going to be active this summer and are going to be a threat for playoffs next year.

Is this a joke post? i'll take that bet! lol

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

63 points and -18 this season. Worth seven million a year until he's 39?

Remember the cap is going up too. $7M is going to be the equivalent to a $4.5-5M contract now in only a couple years.

[Sylvanfan]

So if I have this right Couture is walking away from 2 years and 13 million in owed salary?

Pretty honorable thing to do. I'd guess he takes a job in the front office. He was probably heading that route anyway.

Really solid player when he was healthy. I remember how one year a hockey news publication had him as one of the Sharks biggest bust picks like 2 years after he was drafted and he exploded the next year. Same publication listed Backlund as one of the Flames biggest first round busts...Oof.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

63 points and -18 this season. Worth seven million a year until he's 39?

One lesser discussed point with Kadri is Zayne Parekh is on record saying that Kadri was one of Parekh's hockey heroes and idol's growing up. If Kadri can act as a mentor to Parekh that is a lot of added intrinsic value that isn't measured in Kadri's stats.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Interesting thread, 4 posts about a guy retiring and the rest about how the Sharks can rebuild and Kadri lol.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Bedard is fine, the issue is he as incompetent management that didn't surround him with better players.

San Jose can chase guys like Marner and Ekblad in free agency. They can also make some trades.

They have no expensive RFAs this summer and $55 mil cap space.

They will have some guys to sign soon, but they can spend $35 mil and be ok.

Marner and Ekblad are 2 good examples.

Teams will be spending, and guys might be available too. Sergachev was a good pick up for Utah.

I don't think they will sit around a do nothing this off season. Maybe they take one last crack at McKenna, but I can see them thinking they have the core to win now too.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

So if I have this right Couture is walking away from 2 years and 13 million in owed salary?

Pretty honorable thing to do. I'd guess he takes a job in the front office. He was probably heading that route anyway.

Really solid player when he was healthy. I remember how one year a hockey news publication had him as one of the Sharks biggest bust picks like 2 years after he was drafted and he exploded the next year. Same publication listed Backlund as one of the Flames biggest first round busts...Oof.

Yeah, that is a lot of money to walk away from. The contract was slightly front loaded (AAV of $8 million, but supposed to earn $7 million and $6 million over the next two seasons.

Maybe it's a case of him being technically healthy enough to be cleared to play, but the chance of re-injuring just isn't worth it. It sounds like the infection he had was pretty scary.

[sureLoss]

He isn't officially retiring. He will still get paid out.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/627...sharks-injury/

Couture, accompanied by Sharks general manager Mike Grier, will hold a news conference at SAP Center to address his inability to return to the ice. League sources told The Athletic’s Chris Johnston that Couture will not officially retire, which would prevent him from being paid for the final two years of the eight-year, $64-million contract extension he signed in 2018.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

The Sharks are going to be active this summer and are going to be a threat for playoffs next year.

They better find a goalie.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I vote that we change the thread title to put "retiring" in quotations, since he isn't retiring from his contract.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Since he is owed $13M in real dollars I can't see him getting traded around like with the Coyotes. Unless insurance is paying for the remainder of his deal.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

They better find a goalie.

They have Askarov.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

They have Askarov.

He's no Wolf.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Yeah, that is a lot of money to walk away from. The contract was slightly front loaded (AAV of $8 million, but supposed to earn $7 million and $6 million over the next two seasons.

Maybe it's a case of him being technically healthy enough to be cleared to play, but the chance of re-injuring just isn't worth it. It sounds like the infection he had was pretty scary.

Yeah, or the rehab required is exhausting for him to try and come back to be fit enough to play. You see what a guy like Landeskog who's 3 years younger has gone thru...and if you're 36 and you might be fit enough to play hockey again...but not sure. Maybe it's no longer worth it if a less intense rehab gets you back to functioning to get on with life you could enjoy.

Looks like it's not an all out retirement, but more of a I can't make it back. Which if the team pays him and doesn't subject him to a rehab that's pushing him too hard...I can't fault that. If it was reasonable that he could come back and play at a high level sure, but seems a bit unfair to not pay him if the chance of him playing again is highly unlikely.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

The only difference is that we're stuck paying Kadri $28m US over the next four years, and the Sharks get away without paying Couture another dime.

The difference is that Kadri is earning his money right now. Couture isn't, and the Sharks have to pay him $13 million not to play at all for the next two years.

Capwages lists 34 centres who make more money this year than Kadri. NHL.com has him 31st in points for centres. He's making just what a high-end 2C ought to make in this market. (Both lists include some players who spend most of their time on the wing, so rather than go through them all manually, I assumed that simply cancels out.)

It's not Kadri's fault the Flames don't have anyone better than him at that position.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I vote that we change the thread title to put "retiring" in quotations, since he isn't retiring from his contract.

… who does this matter to except the owners?

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

… who does this matter to except the owners?

It actually counts differently against the cap.

For example. Keith Yandle retired officially a couple years ago. The Panthers are still on the hook for part of his salary retained and it counts against the cap.

I'm of the mind that if a player actually is never going to play again, it should count against the cap like a buy out. Otherwise you can sign guys to contracts into their early 40's to space out the cap hit, but they will never play and you can LTIR them into eternity. It's a loophole that needs to be closed or at least evened out for official retirements not counting against the cap.

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

The only difference is that we're stuck paying Kadri $28m US over the next four years, and the Sharks get away without paying Couture another dime.

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

The other difference of course being that Kadri is still a very effective player while Couture has only played 6 games over the past 2 seasons.

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

63 points and -18 this season. Worth seven million a year until he's 39?

Originally Posted by sureLoss

He isn't officially retiring. He will still get paid out.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/627...sharks-injury/

It's amazing how quickly your posts fell apart. I mean you didn't put any thought into them so I guess not that big of a shocker, but still.

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I'm of the mind that if a player actually is never going to play again, it should count against the cap like a buy out. Otherwise you can sign guys to contracts into their early 40's to space out the cap hit, but they will never play and you can LTIR them into eternity. It's a loophole that needs to be closed or at least evened out for official retirements not counting against the cap.

There isn't much of a loophole. How many teams are using if there is one?

With the rules around a player 35+ in age and contract limits of seven years (eight if signing with the same team) it doesn't appear to be an issue

[Calgary4LIfe]

Feel bad for the guy. He was a really clutch guy for the Sharks over his career - always sad to see guys having to leave the game without it being on their own terms. Just hope that his health doesn't stop him from enjoying life.


As for the Sharks - they are looking poised to start climbing back up. I think they have had a very successful rebuild on paper - they have talent at every position, and are about to add another high-end pick (plus they hold another 1st round pick this draft, plus two 2nd round picks). That's another injection of talent long-term, or they can use that draft capital to trade for players. How much they move up will be based on who they get to sign there. Up until their rebuild, they were one of the favourite destinations for UFAs. Will they start being that destination again as soon as this off-season? I have a feeling that they will need to overpay for a player still, but it won't be long before some players go there on a bit of a discount again, even with the higher taxes.


Sigh.. those California road trips are going to be difficult again very soon, aren't they? LA should still be good for a number of years, Anaheim has been rising and is looking like a well-built team, and San Jose as mentioned above. Plus Utah is looking like they are on the cusp of becoming a really good team, and they still have some blue-chips coming - such a big, talented and well-skating team right now. Then you have Chicago and Seattle spinning their wheels. Preds are either rebuilding or competing - trying to do both anyway by the looks of it. Vancouver looks like a team that is about to enter a rebuild after having a very short compete window. I guess there will be balance in the conference.