The San Jose Sharks really need to turn things around. The defending Western Conference champions are slumping badly and off to a really slow start.
San Jose (6-6-0) sits third in the Pacific and falling. Now they head to Washington on a three-game losing streak...and it feels more like a 20-game losing streak.
The offense is putrid, pathetic and paltry, having only tallied four goals in the last three games. A dynamic and productive offense had been a staple for the Sharks. Its absence is finally taking a toll. After just 12 games, San Jose appears to have hit rock-bottom with a 5-0 shutout at home versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup final.
Desperate times call for desperate measures...enter Kevin Labanc.
You remember him, right? The kid from New York that made a good, no, great impression during training camp? The kid we thought might make the team out of camp? Yes, him.
Labanc was the very last player cut from the Sharks roster prior to the start of the regular season. Being that close to making the team appears to have lit an even bigger fire under Labanc.
The 5-foot-something, 185-pound forward carried his hot play and dtermination into the start of the AHL season. Labanc is tied for the San Jose Barracuda lead in points with 10 (4g 6a) and leads the teams in shots with 27. Among AHL rookies, Labanc is tied for third in points, tied for fifth in goals and is third in shots on goal.
His impressive numbers aren't all that surprising considering scoring in not a new concept for Labanc. He led the OHL with 127 points (39 goals, 88 assists) in 65 games with the Barrie Colts; he was also first in assists and in plus-minus (+60).
He won the OHL Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the leagues top scoring right winger. He was also named "Best Playmaker" and "Best Penalty Killer" in the OHL coaches poll.
All Labanc does is score. Now he gets his shot in the NHL with the Sharks.
The bottom-half of the Sharks line up is providing almost nothing in terms of offensive output. Tommy Wingels, Joel Ward, Mats Nieto, Chris Tierney, Michael Haley, Mikkel Boedker and Melker Karlsson have combined for a mere 6 goals.
If anything, Labanc can inject some energy into a lineup that is less than lively 12 games into the season. He has nine games to make his mark because if he plays a 10th NHL contest, his Entry Level Contract will begin.
If he makes it to that 10th game it will mean he's producing and more than likely the Sharks are winning again.
What do you think...Is Labanc going to help the Sharks right this ship?
Thanks for reading, Steve