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Kevin Labanc

San Jose Sharks Reassign Jack Studnicka To AHL

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The San Jose Sharks have reassigned center Jack Studnicka to their AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda (CapFriendly). The 24-year-old dressed in nine games since joining San Jose but was unable to find the scoresheet during that time while playing over 11 minutes a night. Studnicka struggled at even strength as he spent the majority of his ice time buried in the defensive zone and registered a -6.

The Windsor, Ontario native originally started the year with the Vancouver Canucks and dressed in five games this season with the team scoring a single goal. He was traded by the Canucks on December 15th for Nick Cicek and a sixth-round pick in 2024 and has remained in the NHL since the move. Studnicka’s demotion will give him his first chance to play with the Barracuda and could be an opportunity for him to get back on track offensively. In nine games with the Abbotsford Canucks this season, Studnicka had a goal and six assists.

Since being drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft, Studnicka has bounced between three different organizations and has struggled to score at the NHL level with just six goals and 10 assists in 99 career NHL games. However, at the AHL level he has been a very effective offensive contributor with 35 goals and 68 assists in 126 career AHL games.

Studnicka being sent down might just lead to an opportunity for Kevin Labanc to get back into the Sharks lineup as he has been a healthy scratch for the last four games. The Sharks could also call someone else back up as they look to break out of another ten-game losing streak.

Kevin Labanc Out With Upper-Body Injury

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1:26 PM: Further reporting from Max Miller of The Hockey News suggests that Labanc is actually out with an upper-body injury as a result of the slew foot from Vancouver Canucks’s Nils Hoglander the other night.

12:49 PM: San Jose Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka is reporting that San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc will be a healthy scratch tonight meaning that the Sharks will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen when they take on the Seattle Kraken. Labanc has struggled this year and has just two assists in the first 13 games of the season.

Labanc is in the final year of a four-year $18.9MM contract he signed in October 2020. At the time, the contract seemed like a gamble on a player who was 24 years old, but coming off a season in which he was -33. Now granted, Labanc was just a year removed from posting 56 points in 82 games in 2018-19, but his production had steeply declined in 2019-20 to the tune of just 14 goals and 19 assists in 70 games. The decline in offense didn’t stop the Sharks from offering the Brooklyn, New York native a lucrative extension, which Labanc promptly signed. Unfortunately for San Jose, Labanc’s 33-point season turned out to be a sign of things to come for his offensive ceiling going forward.

After another 33-point season in 2022-23, the Sharks were hopeful that Labanc could regain his 56-point form and become a trade chip at the trade deadline. However, given Labanc’s start to the season, it doesn’t appear that he will be in demand this season. Labanc was nearly waived earlier in the season, and it appeared that the Sharks would send him to the AHL to bury $1.15MM of his $4.725MM hit in the minors. The team reversed course and opted to keep him with the NHL club.

It will be interesting to see what the Sharks do with Labanc for the rest of the season, they could retain half his salary in a trade, but it would represent the final contract the Sharks could retain, and it would handcuff them for the rest of this season until Labanc’s contract expires. The Sharks have already retained salary on both Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns and would likely need to do the same to move on from any of their other veterans under contract.

Sharks No Longer Expected To Waive Kevin Labanc

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12:02 p.m.: Seravalli has backtracked his initial report, saying that the Sharks did inform Labanc’s camp this morning that he’d be placed on waivers but have now “reversed course.” Labanc is expected to make his season debut Thursday against Boston. Sharks general manager Mike Grier also contradicted Seravalli’s report, saying the team never planned on waiving him.

11:33 a.m.: Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the Sharks will place winger Kevin Labanc on waivers today at 1 p.m. CT for the purposes of assignment to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

Labanc, a sixth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, quickly looked like a steal after exploding for back-to-back 100-plus point seasons in the OHL after his draft year. The transition to pro hockey was rather smooth, posting a point per game with the Barracuda in 2016-17 and potting 20 points in 55 games with the Sharks during his rookie season. His scoring would increase year-by-year until his peak in the 2018-19 campaign when he notched a career-high 17 goals and 56 points in 82 contests and played a key secondary scoring role in guiding the Sharks to the Western Conference Final, where they would fall to the eventual champion St. Louis Blues.

He was an RFA at the end of that season, but cap constraints forced him into taking just a one-year, $1MM contract to remain in San Jose. His value would, unfortunately, fall off a cliff in 2019-20, when he dropped to 33 points in 70 contests and posted an eye-opening -33 rating, but that didn’t stop then-Sharks GM Doug Wilson from signing him to a four-year, $4.725MM cap hit deal to remain in San Jose.

Over the life of that contract, he’s scored 30 goals and 67 points in 148 games while seeing his average ice time slip to third-line minutes. He was a healthy scratch at times near the end of last season after he put up 33 points in 72 games, and he has not played yet in 2023-24 after serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s first three contests.

With one season remaining on his deal, it’s extremely unlikely anyone will take a flyer on Labanc at such a rich cap hit. The Sharks will be able to bury $1.15MM of his $4.725MM hit in the minors, resulting in a cap charge of $3.575MM if he’s assigned to the Barracuda.

Pacific Notes: Pettersson, Okhotyuk, Labanc

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Canucks star center Elias Pettersson missed practice today as he was “a little bit banged up,” per head coach Rick Tocchet. However, there’s little concern about his availability for Thursday’s matchup against the Lightning.

Pettersson took friendly fire from defenseman Tyler Myers to one of his legs during last night’s shutout loss to the Flyers but seemed “unencumbered” today when walking around. Pettersson, 24, has been nothing short of electric through three games thus far, displaying an added layer of physical maturity to his game while leading the team in scoring with six points. Entering the final season of a three-year, $22.05MM contract, Pettersson is perhaps the best pending RFA on the market, and his willingness to sign long-term will be a significant storyline to monitor as the Canucks begin their campaign, which is off to an up-and-down start. They’re in relatively good shape with a 2-1-0 record thus far, but a rather dominant performance by the basement-dwelling Flyers on Tuesday did not inspire much confidence.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division on this Wednesday afternoon:

  • It appears Sharks defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk is gearing up to make his debut for the team after he was acquired in last season’s Timo Meier trade with the Devils. A late second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Okhotiuk sustained a sports hernia injury at the end of last season that prevented him from playing for either the Sharks or the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda after the trade, and a separate lower-body injury has kept him out of action since the beginning of the month. The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka says that Okhotiuk could be an option for Thursday’s game against the Bruins, likely the reason behind sending Henry Thrun to the minors earlier today. Okhotiuk remains on IR for the time being, and the Sharks needed to open a roster spot to activate him.
  • Staying with the Sharks, Pashelka also relays word from head coach David Quinn that winger Kevin Labanc will make his season debut against the Bruins after serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s first three games. Labanc, 27, is in the final season of a contract earning him $4.725MM per season, but his production has steadily declined from its 56-point peak in 2018-19, and he’s now fallen far out of favor with the Sharks’ coaching staff. He is, however, expected to get a look in the top six alongside Thomas Bordeleau and Filip Zadina.

West Notes: Kaliyev, Sharks, Avalanche, McDonald

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev would have a disciplinary hearing today for his kneeing of Anaheim’s Chase De Leo on Tuesday night.  He received a minor penalty for kneeing on the play while De Leo did not return.  If it’s decided that supplemental discipline is warranted, the league could opt to suspend Kaliyev solely for preseason games, regular season ones, or a combination of both.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • Sharks center Mikael Granlund was injured just before training camp began but Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that the veteran appears to be on track to be ready to play in the season opener. The 31-year-old saw his production drop last year, going from 64 points to 41, resulting in him being a salary matcher in the Erik Karlsson trade.  With Logan Couture’s availability for the season opener still in question, having Granlund – who can play down the middle – available would certainly help.
  • Also from Pashelka’s piece, winger Kevin Labanc could return as soon as Thursday as he works his way back from an upper-body issue that came up last week against Anaheim. The 27-year-old gave San Jose some secondary scoring last season with 15 goals and 18 assists but that’s still not the type of production they’re expecting on a $4.75MM per year deal, one that runs through the end of this season.
  • Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that Rantanen should be ready to go for the start of the regular season next week.  Meanwhile, center Ben Meyers, who is battling for a fourth-line spot with the Avs, is also listed as day-to-day.
  • The Stars announced that they’ve recalled winger Kyle McDonald from AHL Texas. The 21-year-old was cut back on Monday but now will get another opportunity to make an impression on the big club.  McDonald had 52 points in 43 games with OHL North Bay last season and this will be his first year at the professional level.

West Notes: Canucks, Yurov, Labanc

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Following last week’s signing of Pius Suter, the Canucks find themselves even further above the $83.5MM cap ceiling with more than $88MM in commitments per CapFriendly and with a surplus of forwards.  Thomas Drance of The Athletic examines (subscription link) how Vancouver can get cap-compliant even with Tanner Pearson’s potential return from LTIR.  It would require carrying a 22-man roster instead of the maximum of 23 and would require at least three players to go on waivers, one of which needs to make at least $1.15MM.  That would give them less than $150K in wiggle room, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising if GM Patrik Allvin looks to make a move or two to try to give themselves at least a bit of flexibility.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Minnesota is open to trying to turn prospect Danila Yurov into a center down the road, relays NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. The 19-year-old was a first-round pick (22nd overall) by the Wild last year and is set to remain with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL next season before coming to North America.  Generally speaking, teams often allow center prospects to develop on the wing to start so it might take some time before Minnesota determines whether this is an experiment worth pursuing.  However, finding and developing an impact young middleman has proven to be a challenge in recent years so if Yurov could be up to the task down the road, he’d help fill a big organizational void.
  • With the Sharks adding four forwards to their roster this summer, there aren’t many openings up front for prospects. One idea to open up a spot would be to waive and demote frequent speculative trade candidate Kevin Labanc but Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News believes that option would be a far-fetched one.  The 27-year-old is entering the final year of his contract which carries a $4.725MM AAV.  Labanc has shown he can still produce after notching 15 goals in 72 games last season although that’s not a great return on their investment.  San Jose has one salary retention slot remaining for 2023-24 and burying Labanc in the minors for any period of time would likely hurt their chances of moving him with 50% retention later in the year.

West Notes: Toews, Labanc, Myers, Oilers

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Most of the top free agents have already been grabbed off the market so far this offseason, yet there are a couple of big names that remain. One of them, Jonathan Toews, had one of the more murkier futures than most. After the Chicago Blackhawks announced they would not be re-signing their captain, much of the speculation pointed Toews to two options: the Edmonton Oilers or retirement.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet was asked to answer a question about Toews in his regular Oilers mailbag, and he painted a much clearer image of what Toews’ future will hold. Apparently, when Toews’ agency gave out their annual list of pending free agents to interested parties, “we are told his name was not even on the list”.

This is not a surprising development, as Toews has battled chronic immune response syndrome as well as long-term negative side effects from Covid-19. Both of these illnesses have severely cut into his playing time, as Toews has been unable to suit up for a full year since the 2018-19 season. Realistically, it is more than likely that we have seen the last of Toews in the NHL.

Other notes:

  • Right before the free agent market opened on July 1st, it was reported that the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks had recently discussed a trade that would send defenseman Tyler Myers to the Bay Area. During their podcast, ’Canucks Central’, Dan Riccio and Sat Shah confirmed the deal would have been a one-for-one swap for winger Kevin Labanc. It makes sense for both teams, as Myers has fallen out of favor in Vancouver, and the team mostly addressed its defensive core via free agency. From the Sharks’ perspective, the team is widely expected to move defenseman Erik Karlsson before the offseason concludes, and Myers would fill that hole left on their right side.
  • One of the major holdups in any Myers deal is the $5MM bonus he is due on September 1st of this year. At the beginning of last season, there were reports that a deal that would have sent Myers to the Ottawa Senators fell through due to the bonus due to Myers. Unfortunately for interested parties, David Quadrelli of Nation HQ reports that the Canucks are unable to pay the bonus early, as the league has deemed it a salary cap circumvention.
  • One of the main focal points of the Oilers’ offseason is to sign restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard to a contract extension, but it appears the Oilers are also looking to add to their forward depth. Michael DeRosa of The Hockey News reports that Edmonton has significant interest in Philadelphia Flyers’ forwards Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton. Both players would be a positive addition to the team’s forward core, but with only $5.6MM available in cap space, it is hard to envision the Oilers being able to absorb the $5.5MM owed to Konecny, or the $3MM owed to Laughton.

 

Pacific Notes: Sharks Goalies, Labanc, Carrier

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Despite benefitting from a historic offensive performance from number-one defenseman Erik Karlsson and strong production from Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, the San Jose Sharks finished the 2022-23 season with the NHL’s fourth-worst record. Their 22-44-16 record in the first year of their David Quinn era put them in a prime position for next month’s draft lottery, but not exactly in a place to help their veteran players win a Stanley Cup. A significant factor contributing to the Sharks’ struggles this season was their goaltending, as neither of their regular netminders posted above an .890 save percentage.

Sharks fans, then, might be pleased to hear word from general manager Mike Grier, via The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak, that the team does not plan on bringing the same goalie tandem (James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen) into next season. Reimer, 35, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, while Kahkonen has another year left on his deal at a $2.75MM cap hit. Finding an experienced, capable partner for Kahkonen (.883 save percentage in 37 games) could be one of Grier’s top priorities for the summer.

Other Pacific Division notes:

  • Another Shark whose status is uncertain heading into the summer is winger Kevin Labanc, who scored 15 goals and 33 points this season and is making $4.75MM against the cap next season. Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka relays comments from Grier on Labanc’s future, with Grier saying “I can’t say whether he’ll be here. We’ll see what happens in the summer and what presents itself.” Labanc’s production has declined sharply since his 56-point 2018-19 season, and it’s worth noting that the Sharks could save nearly $4MM against the cap by buying out Labanc this summer, at the cost of nearly $2MM against the cap in 2024-25.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger William Carrier was a surprise performer this season, flying past career highs to score 16 goals and 25 points in just 56 games. The 28-year-old has been with the Golden Knights since the franchise’s expansion draft and is under contract for $1.4MM through next season. He hasn’t played since a March 3rd contest against the New Jersey Devils, but thankfully for Vegas he could be nearing a return. Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy told the media, including The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, that Carrier could return during the first round against the Winnipeg Jets. That would be a significant addition to Vegas’ bottom six and would add some useful depth goal-scoring to an organization hoping to make another deep playoff run.

Snapshots: Predators, Shore, Gadjovich

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The Nashville Predators aren’t going to be buyers this year. That’s according to general manager David Poile, who joined Nashville radio this morning to explain his trade deadline plans.

I do not think we are a buyer, let’s start with that. If things don’t change more favorably and get into some kind of winning streak, we certainly could be a seller. But that’s not today. 

The Predators sit fifth in the Central Division, and despite a 25-20-6 record, actually have a negative goal differential on the year. However, what they would sell isn’t clear, given the only pending UFAs on the roster are Mark Jankowski and Kevin Lankinen. Teams rarely target players with long-term contracts at the deadline, and the Predators have 10 of 23 roster spots inked through at least 2024-25.

  • Devin Shore is back up for the Edmonton Oilers, meaning Kailer Yamamoto won’t be coming off injured reserve just yet. Klim Kostin was back on the ice with the team today, and Leon Draisatil was only missing for maintenance and is expected to play tomorrow. For Yamamoto to return, the Oilers need to clear a significant amount of cap space; most expect that to be the waiving or trade of Jesse Puljujarvi, though nothing has materialized to this point.
  • Jonah Gadjovich will be out on a week-to-week basis, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Kevin Labanc will jump back into the San Jose Sharks lineup on the fourth line, potentially giving the team a chance to showcase the forward before the trade deadline. The 27-year-old Labanc still carries a $4.725MM cap hit through next season and has 25 points in 45 games.

West Notes: Labanc, Jets, Weegar

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Sharks winger Kevin Labanc has fully recovered from the shoulder woes that plagued him last season and he will be ready for training camp later this month, notes Corey Masisak of The Athletic (Twitter link).  He originally suffered the injury back in December and while it looked like he might be able to return late in the year, that didn’t wind up happening.  The 26-year-old had just three goals and three assists in 21 games before the injury, leading to some speculation that he could have been a buyout candidate for San Jose this summer although they obviously didn’t go that route.  With two years left on his contract that carries a $4.725MM AAV, the Sharks will be counting on a bounce-back year from their second-highest-paid winger.

More from around the Western Conference:

  • With both Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg potentially being ready for full-time NHL duty, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that one of Dylan DeMelo or Brenden Dillon could be a possible trade candidate for Winnipeg over the coming weeks. The Jets are one of the few teams that still has ample cap space at their disposal – more than $5.5MM, per CapFriendly – providing them with an opportunity to still add to their forward group.  DeMelo and Dillon are on affordable contracts ($3MM and $3.9MM, respectively) so swapping one for a forward of note could create a spot for one of those youngsters and give them a boost up front, a win-win situation for them.
  • While the Flames and Jonathan Huberdeau quickly reached an agreement on an extension after their summer trade with Florida, the same hasn’t happened yet with the other Calgary newcomer in MacKenzie Weegar. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the two sides are indeed quietly talking about a new deal.  The 28-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him put up 44 points in 80 games while logging over 23 minutes per night, numbers that will give him a chance at doubling his current $3.25MM AAV on his next contract.

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