San Jose already locked down winger Evander Kane with a seven-year contract earlier in the spring. A number of Sharks players are set to hit free agency at the end of the upcoming season (most notably Couture and Joe Pavelski), so general manager Doug Wilson might want to get a head start on solidifying his core.
In addition to being a versatile defender committed to playing a complete two-way style, Couture is also a proven offensive contributor, registering 34 goals and 27 assists over 78 games in the 2017-18 season.
Couture is under contract for one more season at a cap hit of $6 million, and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019.
Tuesday's reported verbal agreement caps a busy few days in Arizona, as reports regarding the two sides nearing an extension have gained traction over the last 24 hours.
Ekman-Larsson has one year left on the six-year, $33-million deal he signed in the spring of 2013, but he won't be able to officially ink the new extension until July 1.
The 26-year-old Swede is coming off a season in which he registered 14 goals and 28 assists while averaging 23:41 of ice time per night.
Barry Trotz coached the Capitals to a Stanley Cup title this season while not knowing if he'd be back behind the Washington bench next year, as his current contract expires July 1.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future with the club, Trotz is soaking up the moment and enjoying the "buzz" that comes along with being NHL champs: "I’m not in any state to talk," Trotz said Saturday, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post. "I always talked about having really good clarity and calm and all that.
"I don’t have a lot of clarity right now. That’s self-inflicted."
Washington's general manager Brain MacLellan made it known earlier this week that if Trotz wishes to return to the organization the two sides would get a deal done.
Trotz has been at the helm in D.C. since 2014, amassing a regular-season record of 205-89-34 and a postseason record of 36-27.
Martin is under contract for one more season with the Sharks at a cap hit of $4.85 million, but if he's bought out, San Jose will save roughly $2.8 million in cap space for the 2018-19 campaign.
The veteran rearguard spent the last three seasons with the Sharks, registering seven goals and 41 assists in 173 regular-season games. However, he only suited up in 14 contests this past year due to poor play and injury issues. He also skated in 18 AHL games after being waived by the club in January.
Teams can officially begin buying out contracts on Friday.
Don't get it twisted: while the regular season in the NHL is surely important, fans yearn for playoff hockey. Enduring the tough 82-game slate that spans seven months can be a tall task for any puck enthusiast - even if you're armchair coaching like the rest of us.
However, if you were able to maintain mental stability and hold your nerve long enough to enjoy the entire postseason, this year's passage of teams battling it out for the Stanley Cup provided some of the best plays, moments, and highlights our great game has to offer.
Despite an opening round that provided two sweeps, two five-game series, and only one seven-gamer, the 2018 postseason was one to remember. Without further ado, let's relive the best moments:
Andersen robs Pastrnak with the paddle
Arguably the best series of the first round, the Boston Bruins were having their way with the Toronto Maple Leafs up until this point. Enter Leafs netminder Freddy Andersen, who went full beast mode from Game 3 on. Case in point was this save he turned in late in the third period with the Bruins pressing.
David Krejci fed it into the corner for David Pastrnak, who loaded up and fired it into what appeared to be a yawning cage. With the flick of a stick, Andersen streaked cross-crease to stone Pastrnak with the paddle, preserving the victory for Toronto.
Ovechkin bats in game-winner vs. Penguins
Not only was Ovi's Game 3 winner the turning point in Washington's series against Pittsburgh, but it was arguably the tipping point of the club's entire season.
Like he did all year long, Ovechkin wowed the crowd on this play, streaking up the ice for a two-on-one with Nicklas Backstrom before ringing his shot off the post. Ovi stayed as cool as a cucumber and batted his own rebound out of midair and past Matt Murray.
The patience and hand-eye were seriously impressive, but the awesome celly at the end cemented Ovechkin's eventual game-winner as one the best of the playoffs.
Rinne's insane knob stop vs. Jets
Not many adjectives in the English dictionary can properly describe what happened in this sequence, so let your eyes do the work for you. Just understand that Pekka Rinne's robbery of Josh Morrissey in the Predators-Jets second-round series was seriously ridiculous.
The man used the knob of his stick ... to make the save ... along the ice. Nuts. If not for the sublime saves further down our list, Rinne's wizardry against the Jets would surely be the stop of the postseason.
Brad Marchand's licking/kissing
Look, everyone can agree that Bruins forward Brad Marchand kissing and licking opponents' faces wasn't exactly good for the game. But, come on, nothing fun or out of the norm like that has ever happened in hockey. And watching opponents become enraged or grossed out with Marchand's greasy face in their beaks was actually freaking hilarious.
Marchand and the Bruins have already admitted the licking and kissing antics need to be cut out immediately. But dirty or not, Marchand and his tongue were one of the most memorable moments of the playoffs.
Forsberg between the legs - twice
The Nashville Predators fell short of their ultimate goal, and after entering the playoffs as Cup favorites, the offseason is sure to be a bitter and long one. However, the fact Filip Forsberg turned in, arguably, the two nicest goals in recent memory should help ease the sting of disappointment.
You be the judge: Was it his first tally against the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, when Forsberg totally undressed Avs defenseman Sam Girard?
NOTE: Girard is still looking for his missing jockstrap.
Or was his second against the Jets in the second round even better?
Either way, Forsberg has clearly mastered the art of scoring clutch, highlight-reel goals - both of these were true treats. Wash your hands of the filth accordingly.
Winnipeg's whiteout
Another phenomenon of the 2018 playoffs needing little explanation was the Winnipeg whiteout. Witnessing postseason hockey in the 'Peg has quickly developed into a must-see live event. Fans from the last row of Bell MTS Centre all the way down to the glass were clad head to toe in white for every Jets home game.
With the intense atmosphere in the building and the thousands of rabid fans outside, Winnipeg showed the entire hockey world their passion, making their home games a true spectacle.
Fleury makes back-to-back game-savers
Marc-Andre Fleury and the Golden Knights were the story of the year, and Flower was the catalyst for the club's success all season.
That statement was never more true than in the Knights' third-round series against the Jets. Fleury robbed Mark Schiefele in the third period of Game 3 on back-to-back shots to keep the score at 3-2, preserving the win and, in turn, the series.
Golden Knights' pregame performances
OK, so they were a little tacky. And maybe just a bit predictable. But hockey pregames usually consist of boring interviews and cheesy organ music. At least the performances for the Knights' home games came with a bit of showmanship.
Plus, watching a dude in full armor brandishing a sword on the ice was worth the price of admission on its own.
Holtby turns tide of Cup Final by stoning Tuch
If not for this save on Alex Tuch, Braden Holtby and the Caps could be sober right about now. But thanks to this sprawling, cross-crease save, Holtby and the boys are crushing tins as Cup champs.
At the time of the stop, Vegas was up in the series and breathing down the Caps' collective neck to draw level in Game 2. Holtby then slammed the door on the contest and series, going on to beat the Knights in a neat-and-tidy five games.
The save was monumentally huge, and beautiful to boot.
Marc-Andre Fleury transformed from expansion castoff to Conn Smythe contender in a matter of months on the heels of one of the most miraculous single seasons in North American sports history.
And despite his Vegas Golden Knights falling just short of the Stanley Cup, Flower still very much wants to continue his days on the strip: "It’s funny, because a year ago, I was thinking I was getting too old to play this game," Fleury said Friday, according to Jesse Granger of the Las Vegas Sun.
"Vegas gave me an opportunity to continue doing what I love and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. I hope I finish my career here."
Aside from being an absolute beast in the blue paint all year long and into the playoffs, Fleury has been the face of the franchise in its inaugural campaign, adorning himself to fans and the community with numerous off-ice initiatives. It comes as little surprise the 33-year-old veteran has eyes for ending his career in Sin City.
Fleury becomes a free agent July 2019, but you can expect the Knights to make a push to lock down their No.1 man much sooner than that.
The Vegas Golden Knights fell just short of taking home the 2018 Stanley Cup title in the club's inaugural season, but that isn't getting in the way of hometown oddsmakers naming the Knights as the second favorite to take home the 2019 crown.
The Washington Capitals can finally call themselves Stanley Cup champions, as their 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night earned the franchise its first-ever title.
So, naturally, Twitter exploded with love for Alex Ovechkin and Co. Here's a collection of some of the best tweets in the wake of Washington's historic night:
Ovi.... legend.... that guy put in some serious man hours to win the cup
Just spoke with Ilya Kovalchuk who is beyond happy for his countryman Alex Ovechkin: ``It’s just great, I’m so happy for him, I already texted him to congratulate him. It’s great to see a guy win who gives to the game so much.'' Will have more in my Ovechkin column later tonight
The Washington Capitals are still a win away from clinching the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup title, but that isn't stopping questions about a potential White House visit should they earn the crown tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
On Wednesday, those questions were posed to Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly.
"The things that he spews are straight-up racist and sexist," Smith-Pelly said of Trump in an interview with Postmedia's Michael Traikos. "Some of the things he's said are pretty gross. I'm not too into politics, so I don't know all his other views, but his rhetoric I definitely don't agree with.
"It hasn't come up here, but I think I already have my mind made up."
The Capitals as a team have refrained from commenting on any potential trip to visit the president in Washington, but after hearing from Smith-Pelly, you can begin to understand the sentiment within Washington's dressing room relating to views on the president.
"Things that he's saying about immigrants and people of color, I don't think anyone here would agree with that," said Smith-Pelly. "We've got a lot of Europeans and a lot of Canadians."
Questions regarding the NHL champions' White House trip have come to the forefront following Donald Trump's cancellation of the Philadelphia Eagles' visit to Washington to commemorate the team's Super Bowl LII victory.
The Capitals will earn the first Cup in the club's 44-year history with a win over Vegas on Thursday night. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Arena.