San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks’ Couture suffers another injury setback

SAN JOSE — San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture is now considered week-to-week after he had another setback with an exasperating lower-body injury that cost him the first half of the season.

Couture missed extensive time, from the start of training camp to the middle of last month, with an injury described by the veteran centerman in January as osteitis pubis, a condition that can result in debilitating groin or lower abdominal pain.

“We’re very cautious with him,” Sharks coach David Quinn said after Monday’s practice. “A little bit of a setback.”

Quinn said Couture, 34, has not been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season and is not aware of any talk about the Guelph, Ontario native needing surgery. The Sharks (14-32-5) have 31 games remaining, with their last game coming on April 18.

“He’s pretty frustrated,” Quinn said of Couture. “I think that would be the best way to explain it.”

After a physically and mentally challenging rehabilitation, Couture returned to the Sharks on Jan. 20 for a game against the Anaheim Ducks. He had one assist in the ensuing six games and averaged 18:45 in ice time as the Sharks went 4-1-1 with him in the lineup.

Quinn said that Couture didn’t re-aggravate the injury while skating or training, but “just woke up and didn’t feel good.”

Couture previously had setbacks with the injury in early October just before the start of the regular season, and again in late October, which caused him to stay off the ice for approximately one month. It was around that time when he had doubts about whether he would be able to play again.

“The flare-ups were the worst part,” Couture said. “I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t walk around my house. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t spend time with my kid.”

Couture started to improve after he began to visit San Francisco-based physiotherapist Lisa Giannone four or five times a week, as he worked on strengthening the area. Couture said last month that he might have to continue to do those exercises for the rest of his career to remain available to play.

For now, the Sharks will be without their top two centers for an indefinite period. It was announced earlier Monday that Tomas Hertl is expected to miss several weeks after he has surgery to remove loose cartilage in his left knee.

“Both of these guys, on top of being really good players, this organization means so much to them,” Quinn said of Couture and Hertl. “They’re both kind of throwbacks in a lot of ways and they don’t want to miss a game and they take an awful lot of responsibility on their shoulders.

“These guys are not only hurting physically but hurting mentally because they’re not going to be able to play.”

The Sharks are expecting center Mikael Granlund (upper body) to come off injured reserve before their game in Winnipeg against the Jets on Wednesday, helping to lessen the blow of losing Hertl and Couture for an extended period.

Granlund, injured by a shoulder-to-shoulder check in a Jan. 16 game in Chicago, was a full participant in practice for the second straight day Monday, as he skated on a line with Anthony Duclair and Fabian Zetterlund.

William Eklund will also remain at the center position for the time being. Eklund, drafted as a center by the Sharks in 2021, played in the middle for San Jose’s games against Seattle and Anaheim last month when Hertl was unavailable to play.

Eklund had two assists against the Kraken and one against the Ducks and had a goal and five assists in his last five games before the NHL All-Star break.

“I want to be able to play center and wing,” Eklund said Monday. “I like to have the puck on my stick and get in the middle.”

Asked if the bigger challenge comes on the offensive or defensive end, Eklund said, “I would say defensive zone is always going to be a huge thing, Against these tough guys who have played center for a long time, to see they do it in the offensive zone and then try to keep them on the outside, it’s going to be a challenge.”

NOTE: Forward Givani Smith and defensemen Mario Ferraro and Henry Thrun, who are all on injured reserve, were full participants in Monday’s practice are are nearing a return. Thrun said he hopes to be on the road trip, which concludes with a game against the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

Please check back for updates on this developing story.