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Kevin Labanc

Western Notes: Edmonton’s Future, Labanc, Gaudette, Crawford

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Expect a long, boring summer for the Edmonton Oilers. After three offseasons in which the team made a “blow-up” trade, you can rest assured that it won’t be the case this summer, writes The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required). The team, who in each of the last three years made questionable trades in hopes of sparking the team, including the 2015 trade of acquiring defenseman Griffin Reinhart (for a first-round pick which turned out to be Matthew Barzal), the 2016 trade of sending off No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall and the 2017 trade of trading winger Jordan Eberle, should be quiet this season.

Mitchell writes that Oiler management has made it clear that the team will just be making quiet moves as they attempt to re-tool their roster to fix the teams’ struggles this season. He includes a list of team needs, which includes a first-line shooter, a top-four defenseman, a third-line center, a backup goaltender and a penalty-killing forward. He writes the team’s lack of cap space, after the extension of Connor McDavid kicks in, will not allow them to be big players in the free agent market, which will force the team to look for quality low-cost free agents and the young players from within their own organization.

Jesse Puljujarvi is the most likely candidate to continue to shoot next to McDavid, while Jujhar Khaira might make a quality third-line center if the team wants to keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as their second-line center and move Leon Draisaitl to the first line. Also, don’t forget about 2017 first-rounder Kailer Yamamoto, who played nine games for Edmonton this year. He continues to thrive with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs and might be ready to take a bigger role next season.

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that despite the injury to veteran center Joe Thornton, the San Jose Sharks’ top line continues to be highly efficient with winger Kevin Labanc in his place. The 22-year-old Lebanc has two goals and four assists in those four games since Thornton went down. He especially seems to be thriving on the power play. “Just feel confident,” Labanc said. “A lot of great players around me, too. … We break in cleanly, and I think that’s the big thing on our power play, is breaking in on the entry, settling things down, and once we do, just do our thing. We work well together.”
  • The Vancouver Canucks are going to try to do everything they can to ink Northeastern star center Adam Gaudette after his season is over. While there is no guarantee that will happen, Ryan Biech of The Athletic (subscription required) goes into deep analysis of Gaudette’s game and says he sees similarities between him and former Canuck Ryan Kesler. Gaudette has already scored 57 goals and 64 assists in three seasons so far for Northeastern, could be a valuable piece to the team’s puzzle if the team can sign him.
  • Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Potash tweets that Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford continues to make progress towards a return. The netminder worked out on the ice for the first time since suffering a head injury in December. Coach Joel Quenneville said Crawford is expected to work out again Sunday. The team needs the veteran goalie more now than ever as they sit outside the playoffs and need a solid run if they want to get back in.

San Jose’s Meier Fined For Roughing Vancouver’s Del Zotto

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San Jose Sharks wing Timo Meier has been fined $2,403.67 by the Department of Player Safety for roughing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Michael Del Zotto Saturday night.

The incident took place in the third period of the Sharks-Canucks game when the two players were fighting for the puck against the boards. Meier went down and received a shove to the ice from Del Zotto. Meier, however, then responded by jabbing Del Zotto in the neck with the end of his stick. He received an elbowing major and a game misconduct penalty.

The Sharks, perhaps expecting a harsher penalty than he received, had already recalled forward Kevin Labanc to the team for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. The 21-year-old Meier is still trying to fit into the Sharks’ lineup as he has just a goal and two assists in 14 games this season. He was the ninth-overall pick in the 2015 draft, but hasn’t had the same type of success that he had in junior hockey.

Sharks’ Kevin Labanc Returned To Minors

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Young San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc has been given every chance to succeed this season from head coach Peter DeBoer. The 21-year-old winger has spent ample time on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, yet he has only seven points to show for it, only one of which came in the last six games. After moving through the lineup this past week, Labanc was dropped down to the fourth line during last night’s game, a shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks. After this in-game demotion, and a subsequent meeting with DM Doug Wilson, The San Jose Mercury News’ Paul Gackle predicted that LaBanc was likely headed to the AHL.

According to the American League itself this morning, this has in fact come to fruition. Labanc has been reassigned to the Barracuda, which of course is not a long trip –  they share a building with the Sharks. Labanc is expected to be in the lineup tonight for the Barracuda, as they take on the Texas Stars.

The question now is whether this is only a message to Labanc or instead a long-term decision. That much will be indicated by the Sharks’ next move. The team does not play again until Wednesday, when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Labanc could easily be on a short-term AHL stint to rediscover his scoring touch prior to a mid-week recall. However, if San Jose opts to call up Danny O’Regan, Marcus Sorensen, or Adam Helewka instead, all of whom have had a strong start to the minor league campaign, then perhaps Labanc will need to wait a bit longer.

San Jose decided to stand pat this off-season and hope that their young forwards could take the next step and make up for the loss of Patrick Marleau and an overall lack of scoring depth. The team is 8-5 thus far, good enough for third in the Pacific, and are far from desperate for help. Yet, their 22nd-ranked offense is concerning and if Labanc and company don’t start putting the puck in the net more often, San Jose could be scouring the forward market in short time.

Minor Moves: Labanc, Mete, Kuokkanen, Oilers

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The San Jose Sharks have sent Kevin Labanc back to the AHL prior to their AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda’s first playoff game. Labanc wasn’t going to get into the Sharks lineup unless an injury struck, and he will be a huge help to the Barracuda’s chances. In 55 NHL games this season, Labanc registered 20 points and was a point-per-game player in the 19 matches in the AHL.

A former OHL superstar, Labanc scored 127 points in his final year of junior with the Barrie Colts, and has turned from sixth-round afterthought to legitimate prospect in the San Jose system. Here are some more moves from around the league…

  • The St. John’s IceCaps have signed Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Victor Mete to an amateur tryout. Mete was a fourth-round pick last summer who has enjoyed an excellent season in London, out performing fifth-overall pick Olli Juolevi offensively. His 44 points in 50 games was best on the team from the blueline, and he’ll now get a chance to show off at the professional ranks. Only 18, Mete will head back to London next year for another chance at the Memorial Cup.
  • The Charlotte Checkers have added a London Knight of their own, as the Carolina Hurricanes re-assigned Janne Kuokkanen to their AHL affiliate. The 18-year old center was signed to a three-year entry-level deal just last month after his huge rookie season in the OHL. Scoring 62 points in 60 games, he proved why the Hurricanes made him a second-round pick (43rd overall) last summer.
  • After letting Jesse Puljujarvi head to Team Finland for the World Championships, the Edmonton Oilers have recalled a group of Black Aces for their playoff run. Jordan Oesterle, Mark Fayne, Joey LaLeggia and Anton Lander will all join the club now that the Bakersfield season is over. This group will be first up should anyone suffer an injury during the Oilers’ postseason series against the Sharks.

Snapshots: Canadiens, Ducks, Flames

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The Montreal Canadiens are cruising, winners of six straight games and leading the Atlantic by six points. They’ll have to continue to play short handed for a while though, as Alexander Radulov, Tomas Plekanec and Brian Flynn are all likely out for tomorrow’s matchup against the Calgary Flames. None of the three practiced this morning due to varying injuries, but the Canadiens are carrying enough players to fill their role should they be held out.

Radulov and Plekanec were both absent yesterday when the team slipped by the Vancouver Canucks in overtime, and Flynn was injured during the first period and did not return. In their absence, Andrew Shaw led the forwards in ice time with over 22 minutes, seven more than his average this season. They’ll likely ask Shaw to step up again tomorrow if all three are out, though perhaps Micheal McCarron will draw back in and take some of that weight.

  • John Gibson has been out since February 20th for the Anaheim Ducks, but Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports that he is with the team on their current road trip. The Ducks will face the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues on back to back nights starting tomorrow, and could definitely use Gibson in one of the games. In his absence Jonathan Bernier has shouldered the load admirably, but saw a slip last night against Nashville. Asking him to play back to backs would be extreme, and would likely turn to Jhonas Enroth against the Blues if Gibson isn’t ready.
  • The Calgary Flames have seen a rejuvenated Micheal Ferland since moving him onto a line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau and now they’ll insert him periodically onto the first powerplay unit as well according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. The young winger has continued to compete physically all over the ice and has five goals in his last seven games. Trailing only Troy Brouwer in hits on the club despite playing more than five minutes less a game than him, Ferland can create space for skilled players just by being on the ice with them.
  • Jannik Hansen finally showed up in San Jose after dealing with visa issues since his trade from the Vancouver Canucks. He was immediately rewarded with time on the first line according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. It looks like he’ll skate alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski for his first game tomorrow night. With Kevin Labanc sent down, an opening was created beside the Sharks top duo and Hansen will get a crack at it to begin his San Jose career.

Snapshots: Team Canada, Labanc, Draft Rankings

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Despite falling to the United States in the gold medal game at the latest World Junior Championships, Dominique Ducharme and the entire Team Canada coaching staff will return for 2017 according to Tim Wharnsby of CBC. The former head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads and current bench boss and GM of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Ducharme is considered an excellent upcoming prospect in the coaching ranks.

The Team Canada job is one that is often a stepping stone for future NHL coaches, and has been held by names like Mike Babcock, Willie Desjardins, and Claude Julien over the years. Obviously there is no guarantee that Ducharme is headed for the NHL, but at just 43 years old he has a long career ahead of him.

  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Kevin Labanc to back to the AHL according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. With Jannik Hansen finally arriving to practice with the team today, Labanc no longer had a spot. The young winger has played 49 games for the Sharks this season, scoring 19 points and generally auditioning well for a full-time spot next season. At just 21-years of age, he’s already progressed much faster than any sixth-round pick is expected to.
  • Speaking of draft picks, Jeff Marek of Sportsnet has released his latest prospects rankings for the upcoming draft. While he still has Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings at number one—and calls him Jonathan Toews-lite—Nico Hischier has climbed over Timothy Liljegren into the number two spot. Mississauga’s Owen Tippett jumps up to fourth, while Klim Kostin drops more than 11 spots due to his season-ending shoulder surgery. One to watch is Nicolas Hague of Mississauga, who will get a chance to show his all-around ability in the OHL playoffs soon enough.

Minor Transactions: 2/10/2017

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The flip-flop of young backups continues in Columbus. The Blue Jackets announced today that they have demoted Joonas Korpisalo to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and recalled Anton Forsberg to take his place. The 22-year-old Korpisalo won both of his last two starts, but was unimpressive, allowing a combined ten goals in the process. He did relieve Sergei Bobrovsky recently with 13 minutes of shutout hockey, but it was not enough to keep him around. Korpisalo has an .893 SV% and 3.57 GAA in five appearances this season. Ironically, Forsberg has not done much better. In his first and only game with Columbus in 2016-17, the 24-year-old allowed four goals on 27 shots in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. With both young keepers set to go unprotected in the upcoming Expansion Draft, perhaps it is GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s strategy to not allow either to get hot at the NHL level in an effort to dissuade the Vegas Golden Knights from damaging the Blue Jackets’ future in net.

Columbus also sent Oliver Bjorkstrand down to the AHL. The 21-year-old Danish winger was expected to have a much greater role with the Blue Jackets this season, but to this point has just one point in five games. Bjorkstrand has spent almost the whole season with the Monsters, scoring 14 goals and nine assists in 35 games.

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Last night, the Edmonton Oilers recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle and forward Anton Lander from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. The pair have been sent back-and-forth frequently of late while Edmonton balances their lineup. Lander has been demoted recently during struggles to make a difference with the Oilers, only to dominate the AHL level with 28 points in 18 games. On the flip side, Edmonton has tried inserting Oesterle into the lineup recently due to his 18 points in 26 games to lead all Condors defensemen.
  • Eric Gelinas has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage by the struggling Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are desperate for defense, but Gelinas has not been the solution. The former New Jersey Devils top prospect was traded to Colorado at the deadline last year, and has been a major disappointment. After playing a prominent role for the Devils, he has just one point in 33 games for the Avalanche.
  • One of the main reasons that the Winnipeg Jets placed defenseman Julian Melchiori on waivers earlier today was to make room for fellow blue liner Ben Chiarot. The Jets announced that they have activated Chiarot from the injured reserve today. Chiarot has been out since early January for the Jets, and his presence will be much-welcomed with Tyler Myers still sidelined.
  • Buffalo announced via Twitter that they have sent forward Evan Rodrigues back to AHL Rochester.  He has played in just four career NHL games – two this season – but is having a strong season at the minor league level with nine goals and 18 assists in 43 contests with the Amerks.
  • The Sharks have made a series of roster moves, announcing that they have recalled defenseman Tim Heed and winger Kevin Labanc from San Jose of the AHL while assigning blueliner Joakim Ryan and center Ryan Carpenter to the Barracuda.  Heed and Labanc have been shuffled back and forth routinely as the team looks to free up extra cap space and will be available for a matinee game against the Flyers tomorrow.
  • Dallas has assigned blueliner Julius Honka to their AHL affiliate in Texas, reports Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link).  Honka has played in ten NHL games this season, recording four assists.  The move suggests that Jamie Oleksiak could be ready to return from his hand injury; he has been out of the lineup since January 11th.

Minor Transactions: 02/05/17

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On what is sure to be a slow Super Bowl Sunday, we’ll keep all the minor news right here:

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