SAN JOSE ? Logan Couture took a significant step in his recovery from a concussion after Sharks practice Friday. But the alternate captain?s evaluation of the injury painted a bleak picture of his timeframe for rejoining the team?s lineup.
Couture skated for roughly 10 minutes after Sharks practice Friday, the first time he?s stepped on the ice since he suffered a head injury against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 15. After his skate, the Sharks top scorer tempered the enthusiasm regarding his return to the ice, stating that he?s ?a long ways away? from being healthy enough to play in a game.
?There?s a lot of stuff that has to happen to come back. You can?t just skate and then say you?re fine,? Couture said.
?I?m not playing if I don?t feel good. It could be one game, it could be 10 games, it could be the whole season. With head injuries, you don?t know. There?s no timeline. Everyone?s different. Everyone handles it different. Everyone?s brain handles it different. These are usually injuries that are tough to judge.?
But Couture cleared the first hurdle toward his return by skating Friday. The next step is seeing how his body responds to the exercise. It?s common for athletes who suffer concussions to experience setbacks in their symptoms after they go through the process of increasing their heart rates through physical exertion.
?It?s a long ways away,? Couture said, adding: ?It?s all about how I react to doing this today, so it?s a day-by-day thing, and we?ll just take the next step when it comes.?
Couture will be sidelined for the Sharks (18-11-4) game against the first place Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center Saturday. At this point, it?s unclear whether he?ll be healthy enough to return after the Christmas break when the Sharks face the Calgary Flames on Dec. 28.
Regardless, head coach Pete DeBoer provided a more optimistic assessment of Couture?s injury, calling his return to the ice a ?great sign?.
?He feels good, so I don?t anticipate setbacks. But you never know,? the Sharks coach said.
Couture became a poster child for hockey toughness last spring when he suited up for six games in the Stanley Cup playoffs less than three weeks after he took a puck to the mouth, causing damage to all of his teeth. He skated throughout the playoff series with his mouth being held together by wiring and plastic.
Nevertheless, Couture told the Mercury News in training camp that concussions are one injury that he?d never attempt to play through, a statement he reiterated Friday.
?I?m a guy that?s had head injuries before, I know the consequences down the line,? Couture told the Mercury News on Sept. 29. ?It?s up to the player, as well, to realize that you?ve only got one brain and that injury is very, very serious.?
Couture knows the longterm health risks that he?d expose himself to by attempting to play through a concussion. He suffered two head injuries during his junior hockey career with the Ottawa 67?s more than a decade ago, and last summer, he teamed up with Hall of Famer Eric Lindros to boost awareness about the health risks associated with concussions.
The 28-year-old center also held a charity event in his hometown of London, Ontario to raise funds for concussion research.
?It?s something that?s big in my hometown. Eric Lindros is from there. He?s donated a lot of his time and money,? Couture said. ?Obviously, he had to retire from head injuries, so I just followed his lead and decided to do something going down a similar path.?
If the Sharks leader in goals (15) and points (26) misses a significant number of games, it could be a significant blow to the team?s playoff aspirations.
The Sharks (18-11-4) are clinging to a one-point lead over the Flames and the Minnesota Wild for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Anaheim Ducks, who?ve played the majority of the season without Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, are returning to health and trailing the Sharks by just two points. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are hitting their stride after a dismal start, closing the gap with Team Teal to just six points this week.
?We miss his presence in the lineup, and the longer he?s out, the more that?s probably felt,? DeBoer said.