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The San Jose Sharks were expected to stunningly place forward Kevin Labanc on waivers on Thursday — but the team changed course less than an hour later, and the 27-year-old will make his season debut against the Boston Bruins.
“Sources say [Sharks] will be placing forward Kevin Labanc on waivers today,” reported Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli. “Labanc has been a healthy scratch for all three of San Jose's games to start the year. He's in the final year of his deal at $4.725 million and has averaged 0.5 ppg over 432 career GP.”
The news was certainly surprising to the hockey world, but what was more interesting was the team doing a full 180 just minutes later.
“After informing Labanc's camp that he'll be placed on waivers today, [Sharks] have reversed course and Labanc is now expected to make his season debut tonight,” Seravalli tweeted just 39 minutes after his original post.
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Regardless of how the situation ultimately plays out, it's been a fall from grace for Labanc, who dominated junior hockey and was a top-six forward for most of his Sharks career.
He also became the first player in NHL history to score four points in one period, as the Sharks miraculously erased a three-goal deficit in the third period of Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights. They would go on to lose to the eventual champion St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final.
Labanc signed a four-year, $18.9 million pact with the team in 2020, but he's failed to live up to expectations, recording just 67 points and 148 games since the deal.
It looks like Kevin Labanc is still part of the Sharks' plans despite his struggles, and it'll be interesting to see how the next few weeks go for the Staten Island native.
