There seems to be a superb likelihood that Kevin Labanc – after a virtually four-month absence – can be again within the Sharks’ lineup inside the subsequent few days.
Labanc was in Los Angeles on Thursday to see the surgeon who repaired his shoulder separation. If Labanc will get cleared medically, he might be out there when the Sharks play the Dallas Stars on Saturday at SAP Heart, or by subsequent week when each the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames go to San Jose.
Labanc practiced with the Sharks on Monday and Tuesday and appeared to really feel OK after each skates, though it’s potential he would possibly want one other follow or two to get totally prepared.
Labanc’s final recreation was Dec. 11 at house in opposition to Dallas when he was hit in opposition to the boards by Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa simply minutes into the primary interval.
“(We’ll) depart that as much as the medical workforce to resolve whether or not it’s finest to have him in a number of extra practices subsequent week or if he’s able to go,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner mentioned Thursday earlier than the Sharks performed the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Area.
“From a standpoint of conditioning, health, and energy within the shoulder, he appears to be good. It’s only a matter of a certain quantity of therapeutic time. At the moment, if all the pieces’s healed and he’s able to go, then we will put him again in.”
Labanc had six factors in 21 video games earlier than his damage as he had seen his common ice time lower from 16:25 per recreation final season to 13:17 this 12 months. He was a wholesome scratch for the Sharks’ recreation with the Flames on Dec. 7.
Labanc, although, has averaged a half-point per recreation – 183 factors in 360 video games – all through his five-plus seasons within the NHL. He generally is a top-six ahead and first power-play unit sort of participant when he’s on prime of his recreation.
Additionally, the Sharks are determined to seek out some added scoring punch. Their 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday marked the thirty fifth time in 66 video games this season that they’ve been held to 2 targets or much less.
The Sharks got here into Thursday with a median of two.62 targets per recreation — Twenty seventh-best out of 32 groups.
“His begin wasn’t essentially the beginning I used to be in search of or he was in search of, however the one factor you possibly can’t educate about Kevin is he can put the puck behind the web,” Boughner mentioned earlier this week. “If there’s a workforce that wants that, it's us.”
Labanc is presently the Sharks’ fourth highest-paid ahead and he has two years remaining on the four-year, $18.9 million deal he was awarded in October 2020.
For that sort of cash on a Sharks workforce that might be going through some wage cap restraints within the close to future, it’s necessary that Labanc rediscovers his offensive contact.
“After all, I wish to see him play in our construction and be good defensively,” Boughner mentioned. “However we would like to have the ability to give him slightly little bit of a inexperienced mild to have slightly little bit of freedom, too.”
“I believe you clearly set excessive expectations for your self if you’ve been right here for six years,” Labanc mentioned Tuesday. “These final 12, 15 video games, you wish to convey it and ensure you’re exhibiting one thing, exhibiting the younger guys the ropes slightly bit and the appropriate technique to play.
“For your self as effectively, simply to know which you can compete at this stage and be a giant issue within the workforce profitable.”
MELOCHE ON KELLER: Defenseman Nicolas Meloche felt horrible for Coyotes ahead Clayton Keller, who underwent surgical procedure to restore a fractured leg hours after Wednesday’s recreation. The Coyotes introduced Thursday that Keller, the workforce’s main scorer, can be out for four-to-six months.
On the third-period play, Keller was constructing velocity as he got here into the Sharks’ zone and was attempting to take the puck to the web. Meloche skated alongside Keller and tried to poke the puck away from him earlier than he pulled again and maneuvered to the opposite aspect of the aim.
A second later, Keller misplaced his steadiness and fell violently into the top boards legs first.
“He was attempting to get to the web with lots of velocity,” Meloche mentioned. “I didn’t see a lot as a result of I turned the opposite manner after I noticed that he misplaced the puck. Then I rotated and noticed him go (into) the boards. It was a fairly ugly scene to observe. You by no means wish to see this. It sucks.”
Meloche mentioned he wanted a little bit of time to assemble himself after the accident.
“It took me a few minutes to get again within the recreation,” Meloche mentioned. “Clearly he was in lots of ache and you concentrate on him and his household as effectively. It’s a part of the sport. It sucks. I simply hope he has a speedy restoration.”