Blue Jackets to sign veteran right winger

With Columbus dealing with several injuries up front, GM Don Waddell had indicated it wanted to add some forward depth. It signed James van Riemsdyk soon after and it appears that it landed another veteran winger as well.  

Max Miller of The Hockey News reports that the Blue Jackets have agreed to terms with winger Kevin Labanc on a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K.

The 28-year-old spent his first seven NHL seasons in San Jose with varying degrees of success. He put up 40 points in his sophomore year, besting that by 16 the following season, suggesting that he was set to become a key long-term contributor for the Sharks.

But things largely went off the rails after that. After signing a four-year, $18.9M contract in 2020, Labanc’s production took a turn in the wrong direction as he only reached the 30-point mark once, that coming in 2022-23 when he had 33 in 72 games. Last season, he was a frequent healthy scratch, collecting just two goals and seven assists in 49 games when he was in the lineup.

Those struggles resulted in Labanc having to settle for a PTO agreement with the Devils heading into training camp. The move gave him a chance to showcase himself while allowing New Jersey to come closer to meeting the veteran minimum quota for preseason games with its main squad in Czechia as part of the Global Series.

The move worked out quite well for Labanc as he leads all players in preseason scoring with six goals in four games and is coming off a hat trick in his most recent outing. Now, he was able to use that to land a guaranteed contract, albeit not with New Jersey, who quietly removed him from its training-camp roster earlier Saturday.

Columbus is currently without winger Dmitri Voronkov, who was placed on IR Friday while Boone Jenner and Justin Danforth are also expected to land on injured reserve before the start of the season.  

That should open up a spot for Labanc to slot in somewhere in the middle six once the regular season gets underway next week. With more replacements needed, the Blue Jackets may ultimately open the season above the lower limit despite getting an exemption from the league about having to be there on opening night.