The New Jersey Devils are anticipated to signal longtime San Jose Sharks winger Kevin Labanc to an expert try-out settlement. The deal was first reported by Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Labanc — a local of Brooklyn, New York — has spent the whole lot of his eight-year NHL profession with the Sharks. He made his NHL debut in 2016, simply two years after his sixth-round choice within the 2014 NHL Draft. Labanc was efficient out of the gates, recording eight targets and 20 factors in 55 rookie video games. His scoring climbed over the following two seasons, peaking with a career-high 17 targets and 56 factors within the 2018-19 season — the one 12 months that Labanc performed in all 82 video games. However he’s been on the down-slope ever since, with a pair of 33-point seasons the closest he’s come to matching his profession 12 months.
Labanc lastly fell out of the lineup final season. He scored simply two targets and 9 factors in 46 appearances, in the end ceding ice time to the likes of Givani Smith and Daniil Gushchin. That’s a heavy blow to tackle an offense as poor because the 2024 Sharks — however Labanc can’t be written off simply but. He’s nonetheless managed 225 factors throughout 478 video games and will supply stout third-line scoring for a group in want. New Jersey actually suits that invoice, in search of constant lineup items to encompass Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar within the bottom-six. Labanc will step into competitors for minutes with wingers like Nathan Bastian, Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter when New Jersey opens their coaching camp on Sept. 18.
