Labanc tallied a goal and added three shots during Saturday's 7-2 loss to the Capitals.
Labanc netted his first goal of 2024-25 after potting six goals for the Devils in the preseason before signing with the Blue Jackets. Labanc has reached at least the 40-point plateau twice in his NHL career and could work his way up the depth chart, given that he has a goal and six points through eight outings for the Blue Jackets. Still, he needs more consistency to become a useful fantasy asset.
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Blue Jackets' Kevin Labanc: Records assist
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Labanc notched an assist in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Predators.
Labanc has earned an assist in each of his last four contests, though he's still not guaranteed a spot in the lineup. The 28-year-old has been scratched for two of the Blue Jackets' seven games. He's added five shots on net, five hits and a plus-2 rating over five appearances while filling a bottom-six role.
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Blue Jackets' Kevin Labanc: Pockets first point with new team
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Labanc earned an assist and blocked two shots in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Avalanche.
Labanc, who attended camp with the Devils before signing with the Blue Jackets, needed just two games to earn his first point with his new team. The 28-year-old winger has been listed on the second line, but his ice time has been more in line with a bottom-six role. Unless he can show some consistency on offense, he's unlikely to be an option in most fantasy formats, as he doesn't stand out in any particular category.
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Blue Jackets' Kevin Labanc: Signs one-year deal
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Labanc signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Columbus on Saturday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.
This is a bit of a surprise as Labanc had been with the Devils on a PTO during training camp. He was outstanding during preseason action, scoring six goals and adding an assist in four games. Look for Labanc to have a role as a bottom-six forward with the Blue Jackets.
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Devils' Kevin Labanc: Preseason hattie on PTO
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Labanc recorded a hat trick in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Flyers.
Labanc is in the Flyers camp on a PTO, and he's leading a lineup of mostly non-NHL players because most of the Devils team is in Europe for the NHL Global Series. And he's showing the way. Labanc had a three-point game Tuesday, too, and now has five goals, including power-play markers, and one assist in his last two games. He's playing for a spot in the team's bottom six and has done enough to show he can provide the squad and new coach Sheldon Keefe with depth scoring.
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Devils' Kevin Labanc: Leads charge in preseason loss
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Labanc scored two goals, one on the power play, and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-4 preseason loss to the Rangers.
With the Devils' regulars in Prague getting ready for the start of the regular season with a pair of Global Series games against the Sabres this weekend, Labanc skated on the top line and made an impact while leading the team in shots with seven. The veteran winger is in camp on a PTO competing for a depth forward spot, and should he see time with New Jersey this season, Labanc does have a modest track record of supplying offense in the NHL, including a 56-point campaign with the Sharks in 2018-19.
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Devils' Kevin Labanc: Agrees to PTO
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Labanc (undisclosed) signed a professional tryout agreement with New Jersey on Monday.
Labanc accounted for two goals, seven assists, 60 shots on net and 61 hits across 46 regular-season appearances with San Jose in 2023-24. He was a healthy scratch frequently last campaign and missed a couple of games down the stretch due to injury, but he will compete for a bottom-six spot in the lineup during New Jersey's training camp.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Season officially over
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Labanc didn't travel with the team for its two-game road trip due to an undisclosed injury, ending his 2023-24 campaign, Max Miller of The Hockey News reports Monday.
Labanc has been in and out of the lineup this season as a healthy scratch, limiting him to just 46 contests. He registered two goals and seven assists while averaging a career-low 11:37 of ice time per game. Without Labanc in the lineup, Danil Gushchin will get back into action after playing two NHL games back in November.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Gathers helper Tuesday
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Labanc notched a power-play assist in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Kings.
Labanc snapped a four-game point drought when he set up a Jacob MacDonald tally late in the contest. Four of Labanc's six points this season have come in December. The winger is doing enough to stick in the lineup for now, but it's not uncommon for him to get scratched. He's produced one goal, five helpers, 32 shots on net, 21 hits and a minus-11 rating over 24 outings.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Tallies first goal this season
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Labanc scored a goal on his lone shot in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Islanders.
Labanc got the Sharks' third-period comeback started with his first goal of the season -- he deflected a Nikita Okhotyuk shot past Ilya Sorokin to cut New York's lead to 4-2. Labanc now has a goal and an assist in his last two games after tallying just two points, both assists, in his first 15 contests. The 27-year-old winger won't offer much fantasy upside in a bottom-six role with San Jose, though he has averaged 1:04 of power-play time on the Sharks' second unit.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Ready to rock
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Labanc (upper body) will be back in the lineup Saturday against Vancouver, Max Miller of The Hockey News reports.
Labanc, who sat out the past two games, will replace Filip Zadina (upper body) in the lineup. The 27-year-old Labanc has two assists, 18 shots on goal and 13 hits through 13 outings this season.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Not quite ready to play
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Labanc (upper body) took part in the pregame warmups, but he won't return for Friday's contest against Montreal, per the NHL media site.
Labanc appears to be very close to playing, but he'll nevertheless miss his second straight game. He has two assists, 13 hits and four blocks in 13 appearances this season. With Labanc not quite ready to return, Jacob MacDonald will remain in the lineup Friday.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Slated to return Friday
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Labanc (upper body) is set to play in Friday's game against Montreal, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Labanc, who missed Wednesday's 7-1 loss to Seattle, has two assists, 13 hits and four blocks in 13 contests this season. He's slated to serve in a bottom-six capacity in his return.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Dealing with upper-body injury
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Labanc will miss Wednesday's game against Seattle because of an upper-body injury, according to Max Miller of The Hockey News.
Labanc has two assists in 13 games this season. With Labanc out, defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov might draw into the lineup Wednesday as a forward. Labanc is day-to-day, so it's possible he'll return as early as Friday versus Montreal.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Adds power-play helper
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Labanc posted a power-play assist, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 10-1 loss to the Canucks.
Labanc helped out on a Fabian Zetterlund goal late in the third period. The helper was Labanc's first point in seven appearances this season. The 27-year-old winger has also gone minus-6 with 11 shots on net, eight hits and four PIM. He'll likely remain in a bottom-six role most of the time, though it's also possible he could be an occasional healthy scratch.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Snags helper
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Labanc notched an assist, three shots on goal, two hits and a minus-3 rating in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Avalanche.
Labanc has turned up the offense lately with three goals and two assists over his last five outings. His strong play has helped him get back into a top-six role while the Sharks are dealing with a handful of injuries to wingers. For the season, the 27-year-old has 15 tallies, 33 points, 123 shots on net, 66 hits and a minus-16 rating through 68 appearances.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Tallies twice in loss
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Labanc scored two goals on four shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Avalanche.
Labanc scored once each in the second and third periods, with his second goal forcing overtime. The 27-year-old has disrupted the Sharks' tanking efforts -- he has three goals and an assist as the team has picked up seven of a possible eight points over the last four games. He's up to 15 tallies, 32 points, 120 shots on net, 64 hits and a minus-13 rating through 67 appearances.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Deposits goal Tuesday
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Labanc scored a goal in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Jets.
Labanc tallied early in the third period to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead. The 27-year-old winger has three goals over his last seven contests despite being shuffled around the lineup. He's had some good moments in 2022-23, but it's hard to see him finding success if he remains stuck on the third line. Labanc has 13 goals, 29 points, 114 shots on net, 60 hits and a minus-16 rating through 64 appearances.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Scores lone goal in loss
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Labanc scored a goal, added four hits and logged two PIM in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Islanders.
Labanc's goal gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead in the first period, but it was all downhill from there. The winger has two goals over his last three contests, a stretch that has seen him regain a top-six role with power-play time. He's up to 12 tallies, 28 points, 106 shots on net, 55 hits, 28 PIM and a minus-11 rating through 60 games this season.
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Sharks' Kevin Labanc: Rejoins Sharks
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Labanc (personal) rejoined the Sharks for Wednesday's skate, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Labanc missed Tuesday's 3-1 loss to Montreal as he awaited the birth of his child. He has 10 goals and 25 points in 51 contests this season. Labanc hasn't recorded a point over his last 10 outings. The 27-year-old should be an option for Thursday's game against St. Louis.
