Nico Sturm could only laugh.
“We lose one guy, we get two back. It’s adding by subtraction,” Sturm joked after the San Jose Sharks practiced today. “You almost gotta take it with a little bit of humor at this point.”
Head coach David Quinn confirmed yesterday’s San Jose Hockey Now report that center Mikael Granlund is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, suffered in the Sharks’ last game on Jan. 16 in Chicago.
But two centers for the price of one, Sturm, out since Dec. 12 with a right hand/wrist injury, and Logan Couture, out all season with a lower-body injury, are both hoping to return to the line-up this Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center.
“Hoping to play on Saturday,” Couture said, “so we’ll see where we’re at tomorrow and go from there.”
The San Jose Sharks will practice again tomorrow.
Couture pointed out that today was the first time this season that he’s practiced on a normal line – he was with wingers Alexander Barabanov and Kevin Labanc today. That may or may not be his line though, it’s worth noting that winger Fabian Zetterlund missed practice today with an illness, though he’s expected to be ready for Saturday’s game.
Quinn is excited to have at least three of his top-four centers in the line-up, potentially, by this weekend. There’s no doubt that All-Star Tomas Hertl will look better with Couture and Sturm behind him, as opposed to who knows who?
“When we have three of our centers intact, we’re a much more successful hockey team,” Quinn said. “Certainly gives us a much deeper and longer-looking lineup.”
And the San Jose Sharks could be getting Granlund back soon too.
“We dodged a big bullet there,” Quinn reported. “He’s week-to-week, but maybe a week?”
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