NHL Rumors: San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils

Logan Couture Thinks He Has An Untradeable Contract

Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now: Peng writes that Logan Couture’s season is over for the San Jose Sharks. But that is not the headline. The headline is that Couture knows no team is trading for his contract.

“I’m realistic. Who’s trading for a guy who’s 35, making $8 million, and playing six games in a season?” Couture said. “You’re not gonna find any takes out there.”

Couture has three more seasons left with a salary cap hit of $8 million, and he said what Roberto Luongo said about his contract in Vancouver before he got traded to Florida: His contract stinks. Luongo used another word, but you get the point.

Nothing is impossible in the salary cap era, but the Sharks cannot retain Couture’s salary. These were used in the Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Tomas Hertl trades.

As Peng writes, Couture is worried more about playing than anything else.

Devils Still Need To Improve Goaltending in the Offseason

Tyler Kuehl of Daily Faceoff: Kuehl writes that the New Jersey Devils acquired two goalies at the trade deadline: Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen. Devils President/GM Tom Fitzgerald was able to move Vitek Vanecek’s salary over to San Jose, opening up cap space for an off-season move.

However, as discussed on the DFO Rundown Podcast on Monday, the Devils did not solve their long-term goaltending problem. It is a short-term fix that came way too late.

Allen and Kahkonen solve the problem now, which will improve them for the rest of the season. We know Allen will be the backup to whomever they bring in, whether Jacob Markstrom, Juuse Saros, or Linus Ullmark; the Devils improved the backup position at the trade deadline.

Long-term, they have work to do. Fitzgerald is hoping to make that big splash in the offseason.