lol we aren’t retaining 50% for no value

I think this is fair and what it would take to move couture…but he has a 28 team no-trade list. Columbus isn’t an option.

huh? Getting a 60 point 2nd line center for free that's only making 4 million? 4 million for him won't even be bad at the end of his contract.

I think what they're saying is there's no way Columbus isn't on his no-trade list. And furthermore, Columbus is literally last in the league; they're not buying, period.

That contracts real bad man. Getting someone to take it without full retention won’t be possible.

FYI the last time he was a 60 point guy was 2018-2019. Long time ago. He was in his 20s

On general principle, I think we're holding on to Texier. Couture with that much retention might be interesting as a helpful placeholder while our other Cs develop, though.

he said "I think this is fair and what it would take to move couture"

ok but the contract is great at full retention! it's like with Karlsson. yeah with no retention you're not getting good value, but with max retention you're definitely getting solid value.

lol I like how instead of saying 29 you say "in his 20s." on pace for 60 last year if he played the 5 games he missed and on pace for 60 this year too.

Availability is important. Most guys miss some games. He still didn’t get 60 points.

It’s very clear that he’s on the decline. $4M for what he’s doing this year is pretty solid, but he’s not just signed this year. He’s signed until he’s what? 37? 38? That’s the concern. He could take another step back and all of a sudden a team is stuck with a guy for four years who isn’t even worth the $4M. Teams aren’t going to pay to take on that risk.

The contract is bad. But it’s not $4M retained bad.

even if he takes a step back he’s still worth 4 million. Very well-rounded playmaker. Great leadership and very good in the playoffs. Could be a great add to a contender as a 2c and would be a solid 3c at the end of his contract. So at his worst, he’ll be an above average 3c, which is fine cause for 4 mil.

You don’t know that at worst he’ll be a 3C

Well I can't predict the future but based on his past performance and what players usually do around his age and older, it's not realistic to think that he's going to go from a legit top 6 center to a 4c or worse in a few years. If you look at his season by season he's been very consistent. If he stays with SJ I would predict he would have a similar trajectory to Thornton. I didn't watch much hockey when Thornton was a top 6 center but he had similar production to Couture at this age and when he got older he became a solid 3c.

Sure. Neither of us can predict the future. But guys completely fall off all the time. Hence….there’s risk. Why would teams pay to take that risk with little upside?

he's been very consistent so I'd say he's less likely than most to fall off, but yes, it's possible.
Little upside? You're getting a top 6 center making only 4 million for basically free!

Well you said the sharks wouldn’t retain for no value, so you were saying it wouldn’t be free.

Hes on the fringe of being top six today, but with a very clear and steady decline. Third line centers can be found in UFA for under $4M with absolutely zero risk. I can’t see the motivation for a team to pay to take on the risk of Logan couture, even at 50% retained. It just doesn’t make sense.

what clear and steady decline are you talking about?? He's having one of the best seasons of his career right now!

Not really. He’s racking up powerplay points but isn’t exactly playing great.

he's on pace for the most even strength goals in his career!

And…..he’s not playing great. There’s more to this game than scoring.

so then what's been bad? He's good defensively and is hitting and blocking shots more than usual.

He is not good defensively

for a top 6 center he’s good defensively. and defense isn’t really something that falls off much with age. So he’s about as good as ever offensively, and defensively he’s pretty average compared to other seasons.