Blue Jackets sign Kevin Labanc to one-year, $775,000 contract
On Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have signed forward Kevin Labanc to a one-year, one-way contract. The deal will carry a $775,000 cap hit through the 2024-25 season.
Max Miller of The Hockey News was the first to break the signing.
Welcome to Columbus!
We’ve signed RW Kevin Labanc to a 1-year @NHL contract.
📝 https://t.co/qYIxlPgySL@RuoffMortgage | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/bKUtQsxdRp
It is a little bit of a left turn for Labanc. Right before training camps opened up, the 28-year-old signed a professional tryout with the New Jersey Devils. Labanc had an excellent preseason, leading all skaters with six goals, including a hat trick in his last appearance with the Devils on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The signing pushes the Blue Jackets above the salary floor. The team recently received league-approved relief to not be compliant with the $65 million floor in the aftermath of Johnny Gaudreau’s death.
It is the first contract Labanc has signed with a team other than the San Jose Sharks. The Staten Island, New York native was taken by the Sharks in the sixth round, 171st overall, of the 2014 NHL Draft. He made his debut during the 2016-17 season and was a consistent figure in the team’s forward corps for several years.
Labanc broke out during the 2018-19 season, setting career highs in goals (17) and points (56). His play was vital in helping San Jose reach the Western Conference Final, which is still the franchise’s latest playoff appearance.
However, Labanc had injury trouble that led to a shortened 2021-22 season, and he only appeared in 46 games this past season for a Sharks team that finished dead last in the NHL.
Labanc’s new contract is a significant pay cut from his last deal with San Jose, which was a four-year contract with an AAV of $4.725 million. In 478 NHL games, the 28-year-old has scored 82 goals and 143 assists for 225 points. He has also registered 14 points in 30 Stanley Cup Playoff games.