Sharks lose top two centers over break

Add Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture to San Jose’s long list of injuries. The health of the Sharks had looked to be on the upswing as the team entered the All-Star break. Mikael Granlund, Henry Thrun, Mario Ferraro and Givani Smith were all expected to return from their injuries in time for the Feb. 14 game in Winnipeg. Hertl was considered day-to-day going into the break, but with several days off, he was expected to be healed and well-rested. Couture looked like he’d be fine after missing half the season with a hip/groin injury. Sadly, neither is okay and won’t be for a while.

Hertl has knee surgery

On Monday, it was announced that Hertl would have surgery to clear out “loose cartilage” in his left knee.

“I have been experiencing soreness in my left knee on and off this season,” said Hertl in a statement released by the team. “After speaking with doctors and our medical staff earlier this year, it was clear that the injury was not going to get any worse and I could continue to play through it, including attending the NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto. After returning from Toronto and having additional conversations with my family and our team medical staff over the last week, I made the decision to have this procedure done now so that I can return to 100% as soon as possible.” 

General Manager Mike Grier says the team is comfortable with the decision Hertl made not only to participate in the All-Star festivities but also to have knee surgery when he returned to San Jose.

“He is expected to miss a minimum of several weeks but the exact timetable is still to be determined based on the findings of the procedure and his rehabilitation. We will monitor his progress during the rehab process and provide an update on his status at a later date,” said Grier.

Having the surgery now allows Hertl ample time to recover and be 100% by training camp next season. It even allows for setbacks if necessary. It’s hard to argue with the decision; after all, this is a lost season.

Couture’s injury could have a lasting impact

Couture’s injury may be a little more troubling for the team. When he returned to play on Jan. 20, it looked like Couture had fully recovered from the hip/groin injury. He assisted on the team’s first goal and led the Sharks to a 5-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks. It looked like Captain Couture was back.

As he started to get into the NHL groove, he still looked ready to play at the NHL level night in and night out, which makes the fact that the injury has flared up again even more troubling. With Couture now out week to week, the team and the player must be concerned that this injury may never fully heal.

Here’s to hoping that this is only a small setback.

Total man games lost by the Sharks this season

With Hertl out for “several weeks” and Couture out week to week with no timeline for return, the Sharks’ games lost to injury are starting to pile up. San Jose is among the league leaders in man games lost, and like all things this season, the team is doing it by committee. Take a look at this chart by NHLInjuryViz on Twitter.

"All inclusive" MGL table through 9 February, i.e. counting anyone under contract on LTIR, SOIR etc. pic.twitter.com/Nj8qgekIJu

— NHLInjuryViz (@NHLInjuryViz) February 10, 2024

While Vegas leads the league with 308 games lost to injury as of Feb. 10, the Sharks are close behind with 277. Every time one player returns from an injury, another goes onto IR.

Couture missed 45 games at the start of the season with his hip/groin issue and is now poised to miss many more. Matt Benning had hip surgery on Jan. 4 and won’t play for the rest of the season. It certainly sounds like Hertl’s games missed will hit the double digits.

Add to that the fact that Mikael Granlund has missed 13 games due to various injuries. Alexander Barabanov has missed 20 games this season, most of those games missed because of a broken finger. Ty Emberson has missed 28 games this season because of various injuries. And all the other players who have missed a game here or there because of injury, and you end up where the Sharks are now.

Silver lining: It’s good for the tank

It’s never good when a player is hurt, but Sharks fans must look for the silver lining. In this instance, it’s that the loss of these two players will certainly help San Jose’s efforts to garner the first overall draft pick.

The Sharks were 4-1-1 with Couture in the lineup. The team only failed to get a point in one game. One game. The Sharks were 1-8-1 in the ten games leading up to Couture’s return. It’s pretty clear that Couture made a difference in how the team played.

Meanwhile, Hertl remains the Sharks’ top scorer with 34 points in 48 games. He leads the team in goals with 15. He was well deserving of San Jose’s All-Star nomination.

Losing an inspiration point in Couture and an offensive player of Hertl’s caliber will certainly hurt a team’s chances of winning, especially a team with the depth of the Sharks. Add to that the trade deadline, where more NHL-caliber players will be moved out, and the Sharks are in a good position to compete for the 32nd spot in the league.