Sharks name Logan Couture 10th captain in franchise history

The ‘A’ that used to be on Logan Couture’s jersey will become a ‘C’.

The San Jose Sharks announced the decision to name Couture captain Thursday morning. The team also revealed Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson will be alternate captains for the upcoming season.

Couture has played each of his 10 NHL seasons with the Sharks. The former Ottawa 67 takes the reins from Joe Pavelski, who signed with the Dallas Stars in July.

"Since I arrived in San Jose four seasons ago, we have been blessed with a tremendous amount of leadership on our roster," said Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer, according to a statement released by the team.

"Logan has grown up within that environment and evolved into someone who not only plays his best hockey when it matters the most, but who also leads by example off the ice... Most importantly, Logan has the respect of his teammates and we're extremely proud to name him as the tenth captain of the San Jose Sharks."

A first-round selection of the Sharks in 2007, Couture is coming off a career-best 70-point season in 2018-19. However, as DeBoer eluded to, it’s his play when the stakes are highest that is most impressive and a big reason why he’ll be the team’s captain moving forward.

During San Jose’s march to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, Couture led all postseason scorers with 30 points in 24 playoff games. Last season, one that ended with the Sharks falling to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final, Couture netted a postseason-best 14 goals in 20 contests.

In fact, nobody has more playoff tallies (30) over the last four years than the feisty competitor and only Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby has more postseason points (68 compared to Couture’s 65).

It’s that ability to perform on the biggest stage that makes Couture a fantastic choice on a team full of capable, veteran leaders.

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