- Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Erik Karlsson is gone, but Sharks captain Logan Couture wants to stay in San Jose.
"I hope we come out of the gate and have a really good start and force management to make moves to help us improve at the Deadline," Couture said on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast on Thursday. "That's my goal is to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs and go from there.
"I do want to turn this thing around here in San Jose."
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Couture did not rule out the possibility of leaving San Jose one day to chase the Stanley Cup, but to him, there’s nothing like playoff hockey in San Jose.
"The city, just the buzz, and that rink when playoff hockey is being played in that arena, there's just no feeling like it," Couture said. "Just sitting in the dressing room and listening to the Shark Head come down. It's almost indescribable."
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Of course, getting back to the postseason -- the Sharks have missed the playoffs the last four years -- is going to be a lot harder without Karlsson, the reigning Norris Trophy winner.
Couture shared some insight into Karlsson’s feelings about the trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and said of his defense: "Other guys are gonna have to step up. It's as cliché as it can be, but there's going to be more ice-time to go around, there's going to be power play time, there's going to be penalty kill time for the guys in the back-end."
Couture also shared what he has heard about new Sharks Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund, and Jan Rutta. The captain also added a scouting report about prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin, who he has been skating with at Sharks Ice.
Finally, Couture looked back and reflected on his favorite Karlsson story. He mused about the great what-if of the Sharks’ Karlsson era: What if EK65 was healthy in the 2019 playoffs?
He also shut down the Pittsburgh-based report that Karlsson had a "strained relationship" with Brent Burns: “I don't think strained relationship is anywhere near the truth."
RELATED: Sharks projected 2023-24 roster after Karlsson trade
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