Sharks' Logan Couture goes against the grain with playoff prediction

When the San Jose Sharks failed to make the playoffs this past season for the first time in 10 seasons, it was easy to wonder about the state of the franchise. After all, the team was only one year removed from an embarrassing first-round postseason series loss to the Kings after blowing a three-games-to-none series lead. Then they failed to make the playoffs this past season and had numerous issues within the locker room, and it might have looked to some like the Sharks were going downhill quickly.

But Logan Couture does not seem to be concerned about the state of the team. 

"We’ll make the playoffs next year,” Couture told Sportsnet recently. “We have too good of a team to not. So we’re gonna go back, and our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. That’s what we want to do."

The Sharks do have some significant changes that could give fans and players hope. They changed coaches, ousting Todd McLellan and replacing him Peter DeBoer, who was able to lead an underwhelming Devils team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012. The team also made changes in goal, where Martin Jones and Alex Stalock will replace Antti Niemi, and brought in free agents with postseason experience such as Joel Ward and Paul Martin. 

"This off-season we went out and got some players," Couture told Sportsnet. "Last off-season, obviously we didn't. Talking to our GM and other players on the team, everybody's very excited for this year. They're excited to have their best years and come to camp in shape."

(h/t Sportsnet)