Labanc is coming off a down year, where he scored just 14 goals and 33 points in 70 games, a pace of 16 goals and 39 points per 82 games. That said, he did tally 56 points in the 2018-19 season and we can bet that he’ll be able to score close to 45 points next season, based on his career averages.
As for the contract, I had guessed it would be a four-year deal with an AAV around $4 million, so I got the term right but the money was a bit off. A four-year deal buys a few UFA years, however, it’s not so long that it would be a huge problem if Labanc wasn’t able to bounce back production-wise.
Personally, I think the AAV might be a bit high, especially based on the market right now but it’s certainly not a bad deal. Labanc is just 25 years old and will be counted on as a top-six forward with the Sharks again next season.
***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Sharks for updates on articles, Sharks news, etc. We're starting right from scratch, so any followers would be appreciated!***
Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Are you happy with Kevin Labanc's four-year deal at a $4.725M AAV?
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»