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Since joining the San Jose Sharks in 2016-17, Kevin Labanc’s production was steadily increasing, until this year.
In 2016-17, he managed a pace of 30 points per 82 games and then followed that up with a pace of 43 PP/82 in his sophomore year. Last season was a bit of a breakout year for Labanc, where he scored 17 goals and 56 points. It seemed as though he was well on his way to establishing himself as a true top-six forward for a long time to come.
This year, however, his production dropped to a pace of 39 points per 82 games and that was also after seeing more than a two-minute per game increase in ice time from last season. Now the question is, will he bounce back or was his 56-point year a one-off?
On top of this, a key stat was his PDO, which adds a team’s shooting percentage plus their save percentage to measure a luck factor. Labanc’s PDO was unbelievably low, with the team shooting at just 8.2 per cent while he was on the ice. Essentially, the stat points to the fact that Labanc was very unlucky this season.
Though he had a down year production-wise, his numbers certainly don’t give the full picture of Labanc’s season. I think he'll need to increase his production next season to prove he’ll be capable of taking on a top-six role going forward but signs point to Labanc bouncing back.
Here's today's poll question (results and discussion will be posted this weekend):
OTHER SHARKS ARTICLES FROM APRIL Addressing goaltending issues needs to be a priority for Sharks