Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl are committed to the San Jose Sharks for the time being, but general manager Mike Grier admitted on Thursday that the team would try to accommodate them if either player requested a move in the future.
"I check in with (Hertl and Couture) a lot, and if there ever were to come a time when they felt like they needed or wanted to go somewhere else, it's definitely something I would listen to, and if it made sense for us, I would explore it," Grier said, according to Bay Area News' Curtis Pashelka.
Both Couture and Hertl have spent their entire careers with the Sharks. Couture - the team's captain - has four years remaining on a contract signed in 2018. The 34-year-old has accrued 14 seasons in San Jose and is coming off a 27-goal, 67-point campaign in 2022-23.
Hertl's entering the second season of an eight-year extension signed in 2022. The 29-year-old scored 22 goals and 63 points in 79 games last year and is beginning his 11th campaign with the Sharks.
Despite the acknowledgment from Grier, he made it clear that neither player is interested in a move away from San Jose at the moment.
"They're all in," Grier said, according to San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng. "They enjoy working with (head coach David Quinn) and the coaching staff. They're excited by some of the young players."
Should either Couture or Hertl want to play elsewhere, both have a significant say over where they can be traded. Hertl holds a full no-move clause through 2025, while Couture has a 29-team no-trade clause, according to CapFriendly.
Grier's no stranger to obliging a trade request. Erik Karlsson wanted a move this summer after he won the Norris Trophy, and Grier found him a new home with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a complex transaction involving 12 pieces.
Couture's currently unavailable on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury. He confirmed there's no timetable for him to get back on the ice, per Pashelka.
"I'm doing everything that I possibly can," Couture said of being ready for opening night on Oct. 12, according to Peng. "That's all I can give you."
The Sharks commence their preseason schedule on Sunday against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.
