If the Sharks had a say, Logan Couture would win the Calder Trophy."It's pretty amazing what he's done this year," San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle said after a recent morning skate. "He's got my vote. If I had one. In my eyes I think he is (the top rookie). I'm sure there are a lot of people who think Jeff Skinner is."
"He would get our vote, obviously," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson told FanHouse. "I'm biased, but not everyone gets to watch Logan as much as we do. And look at what he's done."
Couture has been nothing short of San Jose's best player much of the year, keeping the team afloat during a rough stretch after Christmas and continuing to turn it on even after the team emerged from its slump. Right now, he'd have to be considered San Jose's MVP, despite his age (21) and his rookie status.
He has a team-high 24 goals, most on the team, which means more than big names like Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton. And Couture has a knack for the big score - he has a league-best eight game-winning goals, most recently at Washington on Tuesday night.
But it's the less flashy elements of Couture's game that really makes the Sharks' honchos happy. He isn't just whipping pucks into the net, he's working to get the puck, he's carrying the load on the defensive side. That's one reason that Couture really stands out for the Calder, according to Wilson.
"With all due respect to the other candidates, Logan probably has brought more to the team," Wilson said. "He's been our best three-zone player. His statistics are very good, but equally important is how he's played in the defensive zone, taking faceoffs, doing all the little things."
"He's a very good teaching tool right now for a lot of young players and a lot of older players as well. We're getting some of our guys to watch him a little bit, maybe get them to do things he's doing on a consistent basis."
-- Sharks coach Todd McLellan on rookie Logan Couture During the Sharks' slide in late December and early January, Couture was so solid that San Jose coach Todd McLellan paid him an enormous compliment - McLellan pointed to Couture as the role model for the rest of the club.
"He's a very good teaching tool right now for a lot of young players and a lot of older players as well," McLellan said last month. "We're getting some of our guys to watch him a little bit, maybe get them to do things he's doing on a consistent basis.
"He is a puck hound. Simply put, he's on the puck all the time. Never dies when the puck's around him, second and third effort, very intelligent, can anticipate where pucks are going. He never quits on anything, he stays in the battles."
Wilson had no trouble with one of the team's least experienced players being held up as a good example, saying, "That's absolutely the truth. You look at Logan, that's how you define a teammate: how he plays without the puck, the things he does in the defensive zone, supporting everyone, coming back to get the first pass. He's the ultimate team guy game in and game out."
Couture just barely qualifies as a rookie, playing in 25 games last season, as the Sharks brought him along cautiously, sending him back and forth to Worcester of the AHL. He saw time in each of San Jose's playoff games, tallying four points, and the Sharks liked what they saw of the composed young center.
"After the playoffs last year, we had him penciled in to be a very important player, top nine for sure and working his way up to top six, power play, penalty kill, and he's fulfilled that," McLellan said.
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Couture attracted some notice at the recent All-Star festivities, scoring in the shootout competition and impressing people unfamiliar with his work.
"A lot of players and coaches came up and told me I've had a great year and they've been watching me play, so that's unbelievable hearing other players say that," Couture told FanHouse. "I guess players around the league are all watching."
"To see Logan with his eyes wide open and, hopefully, his ears open as much of his eyes, was rewarding," McLellan said. "I thought he carried himself well, you could see a sense of confidence in him from watching on TV. Even in the shootout he looked very confident."
Has he made enough of a name for himself at this point to grab the Calder? Is it even something Couture is thinking about?
"It's still in the back of my mind, but we've got to worry about making the playoffs first, that's the main thing for us," Couture said. "If we play well and if I continue to play well and help the team out, then we'll see where it's at when the whole year is over."
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