Logan Couture keeps skating.
That’s not just good news, that’s great news: That means that he hasn’t had any setbacks, since he resumed skating in early December, in his quest to return from a season-long lower-body injury.
“He’s getting close,” San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn said on Friday.
Neither Quinn nor Couture would provide a timeline for “getting close”, but it’s worth noting that this is the most optimism that the bench boss has shown about the potential return of his captain this season.
Couture confirmed that he’s not traveling with the San Jose Sharks to Denver tomorrow, so don’t expect him to make his return before the calendar year.
“There’s still a lot of steps to take,” Couture cautioned.
Who might be available to play on New Year’s Eve against the Colorado Avalanche?
Ty Emberson, out since Dec. 3, suffered a lower-body injury during morning skate at Madison Square Garden.
“A shot that got a little bit in towards my feet,” he shared. “I just jammed myself.”
This was especially disappointing for Emberson considering that he was in line to play the New York Rangers, the team that cut him in training camp. The San Jose Sharks promptly scooped him up off waivers then.
Quinn initially gave a 2-to-4 week timeline on Emberson, and the 23-year-old defenseman is about to meet that.
“Day-to-day,” Quinn said today, upgrading Emberson, “possibility for Sunday.”
“I think within the next couple of games, I should be good,” Emberson confirmed. “Just making sure that I’m ready before I step into a game. I don’t want to hurt the team in any way.”
Couture, Emberson, Nico Sturm, Givani Smith, and Magnus Chrona skated today. The rest of team came in for a regular meeting but didn’t skate.
Only Chrona is healthy. Quinn had no updates on Sturm or any of the other Sharks on IR, like Smith, Jacob MacDonald, or Matt Benning.
Chrona spoke about getting pulled in his first NHL start on Thursday night.
He might be headed back to the San Jose Barracuda soon – Quinn believes that Mackenzie Blackwood, ill the last two games, is trending toward being available on Sunday.
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