Sharks' Logan Couture says mouth 'stiill pretty sore' after hit by puck

Logan Couture delivered somewhat calming news to Sharks fans with an update on how his mouth is feeling.

Couture talked with NHL Tonight about his health five months after taking a puck to the mouth, which caused major damage and seemingly stalled the Sharks center during the playoffs.

“There’s good days and bad days,” Couture said when asked about his mouth. “My bottom teeth are still my real teeth. They’ve tried to keep ‘em so I don’t lose ‘em. I don’t know if I’ll be able to, they’re still pretty sore. My top teeth are all fake now - my front six, I think. So, it’s different. It just feels different in my mouth.

“But everything else with my face and all that’s healed. So I’m lucky that it’s an injury that didn’t affect my training, and hopefully won’t affect me going forward.”

That last bit will certainly appease San Jose fans hoping Couture is back to his old self once training camp starts Sept. 14 - the kind of Couture who enters the season sitting on 99 career NHL points.

The eighth-year veteran missed the final seven games of the 2016-17 regular season after a shot by Brent Burns was deflected directly at his mouth. Couture still managed to play in all six playoff games in a first-round loss to the Oilers.

While on NHL Network, Couture also publicized a poker event for cancer research he puts on in London, Ontario, called “All-In for Brain Research Charity Casino Fundraiser.”