The final week of eDraft’s Versus Series features a few scenarios where the old guard goes head to head with the young bucks in the NHL. Age and experience match up against youthful exuberance.
The Pacific Division may have been realigned but old rivals Vancouver and San Jose will continue to battle it out for supremacy in the Western Conference. At the forefront of the Sharks-Canucks rivalry are the top two centers for each team. Logan Couture has taken over the mantle as the future of San Jose while Henrik Sedin is still clinging to relevance and the captaincy in Vancouver.
Sedin is a former Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy winner who, at age 32, can still produce at a world-class level. The question is, can he still bring it, or are his best days behind him? The Canucks have gone through a major personality change with the their new coach John Tortorella. How the offense-first Canucks adjust to the defensive-minded Tortorella will be one of the more interesting stories of the 2013-14 season.
The Canuck captain enters the final year of his contract as the all time scoring leader in Vancouver history. He has led the NHL in assists in each of the past three seasons and has teamed with his identical twin brother Daniel Sedin to form one of the most formidable scoring combinations in the last 10 years. The adjustment to their new coaches’ style could determine the value for each heading into the fantasy hockey season.
Logan Couture has inherited the mantle of King Shark from Joe Thornton. Though “Jumbo Joe” still led the Sharks in scoring last season, Couture was nipping at his heels the whole way and is clearly the future of the San Jose franchise. Couture has played on the wing for Todd McLellan’s Sharks but is at home in the center excelling at faceoffs and back checking on defense.
Couture traditionally flip-flops out to the wing on the power play where he can be as deadly with his shot as with his passing. For now he may be the number two center in the San Jose lineup, but that could change before the season is done.
Comparatively we have two players that are probably at an equal level as they head in opposite directions in their respective careers. At 24, Couture gets the edge because he will be playing on a team that is certain of its identity. The Canucks could make things work or the always combustible Tortorella could turn the veteran team into his personal dumpster fire.
The Sharks have expiring contracts with Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle and could be gearing up for a final push to the Stanley Cup. Look for Logan Couture to be front and center when the Sharks make their move. I’ll take him as my fantasy option over the elder Sedin. With his nose for the net and younger wheels, Couture could be headed for a breakout year. Advantage, Couture.