Former San Jose Sharks forward signs one-year deal with Metro division team
Photo credit: The Hockey News
After spending the entirety of the preseason on a PTO with a Metro division team, Kevin Labanc has signed a one-year contract with a rival team within the same division.
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Kevin Labanc, who was a 6th-round pick by the San Jose Sharks back in 2014, signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets after scoring 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points in just 3 games with the New Jersey Devils in the preseason.
Labanc spent 10 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, playing in 478 games at the NHL level during that time. He scored 82 goals to go along with 143 assists for 225 points while only playing a full 82-game season once due to injuries plaguing him.
The Blue Jackets desperately needed the forward help, which General Manager Don Waddell had mentioned going into the latter end of the preseason, especially with Dmitri Voronkov going down with an injury and heading to Injury Reserve after last night's preseason game.
Interestingly, Labanc chose to sign with the Blue Jackets over the same offer from the Devils. While the Devils would be more likely to contend for the Stanley Cup, going to play for the Blue Jackets would give Labanc a better chance to showcase the skills he has going into another season of uncertainty with a one-year contract.
Source: Kevin Labanc signs a one-year contract
Source for Kevin Labanc's stats: HockeyDB
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