SOURCE: Labanc, Devils Close to PTO

It looks like Kevin Labanc’s new home is his home…maybe?

San Jose Hockey Now has heard that the ex-San Jose Sharks playoff hero will likely be signing a PTO with the New Jersey Devils.

The playmaking winger struggled last year with just two goals and seven assists in 46 games. It was a tough season for the last-place Sharks in general, and Labanc also didn’t get much of a chance to show his stuff, averaging a career-low 11:37 a night.

The 28-year-old UFA was a San Jose Sharks’ 2014 sixth-round pick and consistently averaged about half a point per game a season before 2023-24, highlighted by a 56-point campaign in 2018-19. He also scored a goal and three assists on one power play to lead San Jose, down 3-0 in the third period, to a 5-4 OT Game Seven first round victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019.

After his career season, Labanc signed a sweetheart one-year, $1 million pact, followed by a four-year, $18.9 million contract.

With the Devils, Labanc could be potentially reunited with friend and ex-San Jose Sharks star Timo Meier. It’s also a chance for Labanc to play close to his native Staten Island, where his parents still reside. As a teenager, before he joined the USNTDP, Labanc also played on various New Jersey youth teams.

Labanc will get a chance to show that last year was an aberration next week, when training camps open around the NHL.

(UPDATE: The Hockey News was working on the same story at the same time, they came out with the news first. New Jersey Hockey Now followed with a confirmation that Labanc will indeed be reporting to the New Jersey Devils next week)