With Columbus dealing with several injuries up front, GM Don Waddell had indicated they wanted to add some forward depth. They signed James van Riemsdyk soon after and they’ve now landed another veteran winger as well. The Blue Jackets announced that they have signed winger Kevin Labanc to a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K. Waddell released the following statement on the move:
Kevin Labanc has been a productive offensive player in this league for several years. He has an excellent shot and playmaking ability and given his character we believe he will fit in very well with our group.
The 28-year-old spent his first seven NHL seasons in San Jose with varying degrees of success. He put up 40 points in his sophomore year, besting that by 16 the following season, suggesting that he was set to become a key long-term contributor for the Sharks.
But things largely went off the rails after that. After signing a four-year, $18.9MM contract in 2020, Labanc’s production took a turn in the wrong direction as he only reached the 30-point mark once, that coming in 2022-23 when he had 33 in 72 games. Last season, he was a frequent healthy scratch, collecting just two goals and seven assists in 49 games when he was in the lineup.
Those struggles resulted in Labanc having to settle for a PTO agreement with the Devils heading into training camp. The move gave him a chance to showcase himself while allowing New Jersey to come closer to meeting the veteran minimum quota for preseason games with their main squad in Czechia as part of the Global Series.
The move worked out quite well for Labanc as he leads all players in preseason scoring with six goals in four games and is coming off a hat-trick in his most recent outing. Now, he was able to use that to land a guaranteed contract, albeit not with New Jersey, who quietly removed him from their training camp roster earlier today. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the Devils offered Labanc the same contract but told him he’d need to start the season in the minors for salary cap purposes, something that won’t be the case for him with the Blue Jackets.
Columbus is currently without winger Dmitri Voronkov who was placed on IR yesterday while Boone Jenner and Justin Danforth are also expected to land on injured reserve before the start of the season. That should open up a spot for Labanc to slot in somewhere in their middle six once the regular season gets underway next week. With more replacements needed, it’s possible that the Blue Jackets will ultimately open the season above the Lower Limit despite getting an exemption from the league about having to be there on opening night.
Max Miller of The Hockey News was the first to report the signing.
Whatta deal!
Good pickup for Cbus!
I certainly haven’t been impressed by Labanc the last few years in San Jose, but for this price and given Columbus’s unique situation, I think this opportunity will give him every chance he needs to prove he can be a Top Six forward. Best of luck to both him and the Jackets.
Thanks. We are gonna need all the luck we can get. We are down 3 forwards after the preseason.
Losing Gaudreau takes the team from possibly pushing for a playoff spot to an unexpected rebuild. It sucks. Injuries on top of that make things worse. I can see a scenario where a healthy Jackets team maaaaaaaaybe sneaks into a wildcard spot but… Yeah. It’s gonna be another rough season, I fear. But something tells me a blockbuster trade could happen, given the unique cap situation.