After the Erik Karlsson trade in San Jose, I think just about everyone views the Sharks as a team who are officially approaching full-blown rebuild territory. There are a number of players, if a rebuild were to be triggered, who would likely find themselves on the way out of town, but the two who make the most sense to move, if tanking is the goal, are captain Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl.
As the speculation continues to swirl, Sharks GM Mike Grier addressed the media on Thursday and confirmed that, under the right circumstances, he'd absolutely move Hertl and Couture.
Couture, 34, is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season and carries an $8M cap hit. The veteran center scored a respectable 27 goals and 67 points in 82 games last season on a very bad Sharks team.
His counterpart, Hertl, 29, is entering the second season of an 8-year contract extension that signed last year, carries an $8,137,500 cap hit, which narrowly exceeds that of Couture. Last season, Hertl racked up 22 goals and 63 points in 79 games.
Couture is currently injured and carries a week-to-week injury designation, meaning that he is very likely to miss the entirety of training camp and could miss the start of the season if he happens to suffer any setbacks. Both Couture and Hertl will have a say in where they are traded - if they are traded - as each contract contains some form of trade protection.
