Couture, 27, recorded 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) and 20 penalty minutes in 52 games this season with San Jose, and recorded his first career hat trick on March 19 at Vancouver. He went on to post 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 24 playoff games as the Sharks reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. Couture led all NHL skaters in playoff points and assists, establishing Sharks postseason franchise records in each category. He became one of just five players to record at least 30 points in a single postseason in the last 20 years (joining Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Daniel Briere, and Joe Sakic), and he recorded four, three-point games in the playoffs, all of which coming with his team facing elimination or with the chance to eliminate an opponent.
Couture Selected to Represent Team Canada at 2016 World Cup of Hockey
