San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture said his injured shoulder will be ready to go for the start of the 2012 season.
Couture had surgery after the St. Louis Blues eliminated the Sharks from the playoffs. The surgery was to repair a lingering problem with his shoulder that dates back to 2010.
He was tied with Joe Pavelski as the Sharks' leading scorer with 31 goals over the 2011-2012 season. But the youngster struggled with consistency and scored only one goal in the final 13 games of the regular season. Pavelski's disappearing act continued in the playoffs, as he scored only one goal during the Sharks' five-game first-round series loss.
Couture insisted that his injured shoulder wasn't the problem for the productivity decline.
"You can't sit here and say ‘oh I didn't score this amount of goals because I hurt my shoulder.' No, it's not like that," he said.
The Sharks held an informal practice on Monday with 22 NHL players and prospects, as they prepared for the upcoming season despite lockout drama once again surrounding a NHL season.
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