Logan Couture and the San Jose Sharks are nearing a deal that will keep the winger in San Jose for the next nine seasons.

As free agency draws near, unrestricted free agents going into the 2018-19 season aren't the only ones looking at signing new deals. Players who may be committed to their clubs for next season but unrestricted free agents the year after that are eligible to sign extensions with their respective clubs as early as July 1, 2018, and Couture and the Sharks are set to do exactly that. A report from Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic says that the two sides are closing in on a deal that will extend Couture another eight years past this coming season.

An announcement could be made by the team as early as this Sunday.

RELATED: RUMOR: JOHN TAVARES SWEEPSTAKES DOWN TO 6 TEAMS

Not every GM gets into the practice of extending their upcoming free agents at the earliest date possible, but Doug Wilson, the Sharks GM, likes to do so. Last summer, he inked defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (eight years) and goaltender Martin Jones (six years) immediately after they became eligible. The new contract won’t kick in until 2019-20, but it could play a role immediately as the Sharks are one of six teams trying to pitch John Tavares on the advantages of signing in San Jose. Tavares and Couture are known to be close and having one of his good friends on the team for the long-term might be appealing to the free agent center getting a lot of attention these days.

Pierre McGuire said, “I think San Jose is a real dark horse to land John Tavares, he has an amazing relationship with Logan Couture and he knows Pete DeBoer real well. That decision wouldn’t be about money, it would be about relationships.”

Couture is coming off of one of his best NHL season to date with 34 goals. He’s set to earn $6 million for 2018-19 and with his recent production, it's likely his eight-year deal will see him earn a good chunk more than that per year.

NEXT: NHL FACES THAT WILL PLAY IN A DIFFERENT JERSEY NEXT SEASON