KEVIN LABANC NEWS

Signs with KHL club Labanc penned a one-year contract with the Shanghai Dragons (KHL) on Wednesday.

Impact Labanc was with the Hurricanes during training camp but was unable to secure a full NHL deal. Instead, the 29-year-old winger will head to China to link up with the country's KHL squad. At this point, it's hard to imagine Labanc getting another run in the NHL, though he could earn his way back with an impressive showing in the KHL this year.

OCTOBER 8 • ROTOWIRE

Dropped by Canes Labanc was released from his PTO by the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Impact Labanc was hoping to secure a full contract with the Canes after coming into camp on a tryout, but it looks like he'll have to hope he can land elsewhere this season. The 29-year-old winger struggled to stay in the lineup with the Blue Jackets last year, appearing in just 34 games, but was relatively productive when he played, generating two goals and 10 helpers. A two-way deal for Labanc should be something he is able to land before the season kicks off.

SEPTEMBER 30 • ROTOWIRE

Kevin Labanc drops the gloves with Oasiz Wiesblatt on Sunday. Kevin Labanc drops the gloves for the first time in 4 years!

SEPTEMBER 29 • HOCKEYFEED.COM

'I'll Give It All I've Got And See Where Things Go From There': Bradly Nadeau, Kevin Labanc, Rod Brind'Amour On Preseason Win The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Nashville Predators 4-2 Sunday night at Lenovo Center. It was the team's first win of the preseason and...

SEPTEMBER 29 • THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM

Lands pro tryout Labanc agreed to a professional tryout contract with Carolina on Sunday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Impact Before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in February, Labanc accounted for two goals, 12 points, 35 shots on net, 14 blocked shots and 29 hits across 34 regular-season games with Columbus in 2024-25. Now that he's healthy, he will compete for a roster spot with the Hurricanes at training camp.

SEPTEMBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

Back to full health Labanc (shoulder) has recovered from season-ending surgery, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now on Tuesday.

Impact Labanc had shoulder surgery Feb. 21, forcing him to miss the final 26 games of the 2024-25 campaign. Before getting hurt, he registered two goals, 12 points, 35 shots on net and 29 hits across 34 regular-season games with Columbus. The 29-year-old Labanc is an unrestricted free agent, and according to his agent, Mike Curran, he doesn't plan to go to the KHL.

JULY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Columbus Blue Jackets activate Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko off injured reserve

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner appears ready to make his season debut four months since having surgery to repair a shoulder injury

FEBRUARY 21 • Associated Press

Done for season Labanc was placed on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery on Friday and will miss the rest of the season.

Impact Labanc has two goals and 12 points in 34 games this season and has been a healthy scratch on 23 occasions. The 29-year-old winger should be healthy enough to return for the start of training camp in September, barring any major setbacks.

FEBRUARY 21 • ROTOWIRE

Battling upper-body injury Labanc missed Wednesday's practice due to an upper-body injury, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Impact Labanc has two goals and 12 points in 34 appearances in 2024-25. He's not always in the lineup when he's healthy, so might be held out of the lineup Saturday versus Chicago, even if he ends up being available.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Covering injury absences Labanc played in his fourth game in a row in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout win over the Flyers.

Impact Labanc has gotten a chance to play with all of Yegor Chinakhov (upper body), Justin Danforth (lower body) and Sean Monahan (wrist) out of action. The Blue Jackets initially tried to cover the absences by dressing seven defensemen, but Labanc has draw back in on the fourth line. He's in a six-game point drought and has a modest 12 points with 32 shots on net, 28 hits and a plus-2 rating over 31 appearances this season.

JANUARY 15 • ROTOWIRE

Puts up helper Saturday Labanc notched an assist in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Impact Labanc has played in 11 straight games, but he has just two points to show for it. The 29-year-old has mostly served in a fourth-line role in that span, so his chances on offense are likely to be limited. Labanc now has two goals, 10 assists, 25 shots on net, 24 hits and a plus-6 rating over 25 appearances, but his usage is too sporadic to make him a reliable option for fantasy managers.

DECEMBER 15, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Tallies in loss Labanc scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Oilers.

Impact Labanc snapped an 11-game goal drought, during which he had four assists, with his opening goal at 2:31 of the first period. He's played in a season-high six straight games, though he saw just 9:44 of ice time Thursday. Labanc is tough to roster in fantasy since his defensive issues occasionally lead to him being scratched. He's up to two goals, 11 points, 23 shots on net, 20 hits and a plus-6 rating over 20 appearances this season.

DECEMBER 6, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Adds helper in loss Labanc notched an assist and two PIM in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Canadiens.

Impact Labanc has four helpers over his last three games, helping out on a Dante Fabbro tally in Saturday's contest. While he's been fairly productive in a limited role, Labanc has not played in more than four consecutive games yet this season, so he may still be at risk of an occasional healthy scratch. The winger has 10 points, 16 shots on net, 12 hits and a plus-5 rating over 13 appearances despite averaging 11:22 of ice time. He's already surpassed the nine points he collected in 46 games with the Sharks last season.

NOVEMBER 17, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Provides pair of assists Labanc recorded two assists, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Kraken.

Impact Labanc helped out on first-period tallies by his linemates, Sean Kuraly and Zach Aston-Reese. Of the three members of Columbus' fourth line in this game, Labanc appears to have the least security in the lineup. He's been scratched five times this season, but he's racked up eight points, 16 shots on net, 12 hits and a plus-4 rating over 11 appearances. Labanc is likely to compete with James van Riemsdyk for playing time over the majority of the campaign.

NOVEMBER 13, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Lights lamp Labanc tallied a goal and added three shots during Saturday's 7-2 loss to the Capitals.

Impact Labanc netted his first goal of the season after potting six goals for the Devils in preseason prior to signing with the Blue Jackets. Labanc has a couple of 40+ campaigns in his NHL career and could work his way up the depth chart given that he has a goal and six points in eight games to start the season but will need more consistency to become a useful fantasy asset.

NOVEMBER 2, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

McMichael, Ovechkin power surging Capitals past Blue Jackets 7-2

Connor McMichael struck twice, Alex Ovechkin scored his 859th career goal and the Washington Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-2 on Saturday night

NOVEMBER 2, 2024 • Associated Press

NYI@CBJ: Varlamov with a great save against Kevin Labanc | New York Islanders NYI@CBJ: Varlamov with a great save against Kevin Labanc

OCTOBER 31, 2024 • NHL.COM

Records assist Labanc notched an assist in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Predators.

Impact Labanc has earned an assist in each of his last four contests, though he's still not guaranteed a spot in the lineup each game. The 28-year-old has been scratched for two of the Blue Jackets' seven games so far. He's added five shots on net, five hits and a plus-2 rating over five appearances while filling a bottom-six role.

OCTOBER 27, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Pockets first point with new team Labanc earned an assist and blocked two shots in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Avalanche.

Impact Labanc, who attended camp with the Devils before signing with the Blue Jackets, needed just two games to earn his first point with his new team. The 28-year-old winger has been listed on the second line, but he's seen ice time more in line with a bottom-six role so far. Unless he can show some consistency on offense, he's unlikely to be an option in most fantasy formats, as he doesn't stand out in any particular category.

OCTOBER 13, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

HockeyBuzz.com - Zak MacMillan - CBJ - Injuries Worsen; Sign Kevin Labanc; Claim Zach Aston-Reese NHL Hockey Trade Rumors

OCTOBER 8, 2024 • HOCKEYBUZZ.COM

Blue Jackets sign F Kevin Labanc to one-year contract The Columbus Blue Jackets signed forward Kevin Labanc to a one-year, $775,000 contract on Saturday.Labanc, 28, recorded six goals and an ass...

OCTOBER 5, 2024 • SACBEE.COM

Signs one-year deal Labanc signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Columbus on Saturday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Impact This is a bit of a surprise as Labanc has been with the Devils on a PTO in training camp. Labanc was outstanding during preseason action, scoring six goals and adding an assist in four games. Look for Labanc to have a role as a bottom-six forward with the Blue Jackets.

OCTOBER 5, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Preseason hattie on PTO Labanc recorded a hat trick in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Flyers.

Impact Labanc is in the Flyers camp on a PTO, and he's leading a lineup of mostly non-NHL players because most of the Devils team is in Europe for the NHL Global Series. And he's showing the way. Labanc had a three-point game Tuesday, too, and now has five goals, including power-play markers, and one assist in his last two games. He's playing for a spot in the team's bottom six and has done enough to show he can provide the squad and new coach Sheldon Keefe with depth scoring.

OCTOBER 4, 2024 • ROTOWIRE