Couture a ‘longshot’ for next week’s opener; what does Sharks’ center depth look like without him?

San Jose Sharks coach David Quinn said it's a "longshot" that Logan Couture plays the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 12 at SAP Center.

SAN JOSE – Although Logan Couture could start to skate again sometime in the next few days, San Jose Sharks coach David Quinn indicated that it’s unlikely the team’s captain will be available to play in a week’s time.

“It’s probably a longshot as we stand here,” Quinn said Thursday morning before the Sharks played the Los Angeles Kings in Salt Lake City in their final preseason game.

Couture, 34, hasn’t skated since the start of training camp as he’s been considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He has felt better in recent days, Quinn has said, but would seemingly still need to be able to practice at full speed and improve his conditioning before he’s ready to play.

The Sharks begin the regular season next Thursday against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. That starts a treacherous four-game homestand with ensuing dates against Colorado, Carolina, and Boston on Oct. 14, 17, and 19, respectively. Those four teams all won their respective divisions last season.

Following the homestand, the Sharks start a road trip with games against the Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Washington Capitals. In all, seven of the Sharks’ first nine opponents made the playoffs last season.

Couture has played in 13 consecutive season-opening games for the Sharks, starting with his second full season of professional hockey in 2010.

Without Couture on Thursday, the Sharks will have Tomas Hertl, Mikael Granlund, Thomas Bordeleau, and Nico Sturm as their four centermen against the Kings. It’s a configuration that the Sharks could also trot out next Thursday against the Golden Knights if Couture is unable to play and has to start the year on injured reserve.

NHL teams have until Monday to submit their 23-man rosters to the league.

“I like our depth,” at center, Quinn said. “It’d be nice to everybody healthy.”

Replacing Couture, even in the short term, won’t be easy. Hertl and Granlund have plenty of experience playing in top-six center roles, but Couture is also counted on to kill penalties and play on the top power-play unit.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Sharks’ top power play unit featured five forwards in Hertl, Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, and Alexander Barabanov.

Couture’s absence probably allows Bordeleau, 21, to make the Sharks’ roster out of training camp. Bordeleau, now in his second full season as a professional, is considered one of the Sharks’ top prospects but has just 16 games of NHL experience.

Sturm, 28, is entering his fourth full year in the NHL and played mainly as the Sharks’ third-line center last season as he set new career highs in goals (14), points (26), and average time on ice (14:44).

But if Granlund drops down and becomes the Sharks’ third-line center once Couture returns, then Sturm will likely be in a fourth-line role and perhaps have his ice time cut back.

“If that’s where (Quinn) puts me, that’s where I’m going to play and try to earn my ice time,” Sturm said Thursday morning. “I’m not going to lie. Obviously, I want to play higher up. It’s not a secret. But I’m a team player and I’ll play where coach puts me and try to earn those other minutes through the (penalty kill).

“It helps me that I think of myself as the kind of player that maybe points won’t come as frequently but I think I do a lot of other things well that can help the team: win my faceoffs, play big minutes on the penalty kill and when a chance comes to play higher up in the lineup, I think I can do that.”

Quinn knows what Sturm brings to the Sharks.

“He just represents so much of what you want in your organization from a work ethic standpoint,” Quinn said. “He’s a true professional, he’s coachable. Everything that you want in a player, he represents. I’m not afraid to use him in any situation and he knows that.

“He played a lot of hockey last year, probably the most he’s ever played. and I know he’s prepared to play a lot more again this year.”

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