Speculation: 2022-23 Sharks Roster Discussion Part II

[Hodge]

Well no shit. Hughes signed a long term contract. The media uses Bridge deal and prove it deal interchangeably. I think that’s the issue.

Probably, but the point is any contract that expires with the player becoming UFA (like the Burns, Vlasic and Couture contracts tiburon12 listed) are not bridge deals.

 

[Cas]

The new marketing stuff is popping up around SAP and Labanc is no longer featured. They dropped Kane last season and he was off the team by the end of the season.

Does this mean something? Probably not but will I speculate? Yes.

Probably just that Labanc is no longer considered particularly marketable in comparison to the other options. After last season, that's hardly surprising.

 

[Kcoyote3]

What team even has capspace for Labanc? Buffalo? Arizona? Seems like half the league is over the limit

 

[OffSydes]

Probably just that Labanc is no longer considered particularly marketable in comparison to the other options. After last season, that's hardly surprising.

 

[Used As A Shield]

I enjoyed myth busters.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

The new marketing stuff is popping up around SAP and Labanc is no longer featured. They dropped Kane last season and he was off the team by the end of the season.

Does this mean something? Probably not but will I speculate? Yes.

Not true! They mic'd him up for a video on the Sharks youtube recently. However, he lacks personality and notably had two faceoff violations and was a bit of a jerk to Coach Ricci in the video. I can see why they don't want to feature him more.

 

[NiWa]

Is Vlasic still being marketed?

 

[Cas]

Is Vlasic still being marketed?

In the concessions booths, maybe.

 

[fasterthanlight]

Is Vlasic still being marketed?

Maybe for a management position --- he was on stage at the draft

 

[OffSydes]

Is Vlasic still being marketed?

The players that have banners around SAP are

Both Goalies
Vlasic
EK65
Timo
Logan
Mario
Hertl

 

[Pinkfloyd]

What team even has capspace for Labanc? Buffalo? Arizona? Seems like half the league is over the limit

I mean, if they hadn't found a reasonable deal to move him this offseason, I doubt they were going to get something now just before the season starts for everyone else. Labanc has to prove that he's productive enough to justify at least half his cap hit after a lengthy injury and some play quality issues. I doubt we're able to move Labanc until the trade deadline at the earliest and probably more likely at the draft.

 

[one2gamble]

I'm here for the bancer resurgence arc

 

[Barrie22]

I'm here for the bancer resurgence arc

Only way that happens is if we go back in time and the thornton that was 2nd line quality but playing 3rd line center comes back and puts labanc on his back again.

 

[sharski]

I'm here for the bancer resurgence arc

Strong username to post content ratio

 

[Hodge]

Only way that happens is if we go back in time and the thornton that was 2nd line quality but playing 3rd line center comes back and puts labanc on his back again.

Labanc was just as good if not better in the 2021 season than he was playing with Thornton. He just didn't get the power play points that year.

The Labanc hate is crazy. He's overpaid (thanks again DW) but was a solid 2nd/3rd line tweener his entire career before getting injured last season.

 

[Barrie22]

Labanc was just as good if not better in the 2021 season than he was playing with Thornton. He just didn't get the power play points that year.

The Labanc hate is crazy. He's overpaid (thanks again DW) but was a solid 2nd/3rd line tweener his entire career before getting injured last season.

He put up 40, 56 and 33 points along side thornton. Since thornton left, it has been 28 and 6 points. Won't count the 6 point season against him as it was an injury riddled season.

In the 28 point season, he averaged 2:10 minutes per game of power play time. The year before with thornton it was 2.25 per game. For comparison his big season for 56 points with thornton he got 2:19 of power play time per game.

So as you can see his deployment for ice time stayed roughly the same, but who he was skating with changed. But he has got worse and worse each year. He does not work with meier, couture, hertl and even kane when he was around. He is not good enough defensively to be on a checking line and he does not do enough offensively to be on the top 2 lines. And this does not take into account that he makes 4 mil per season into account. He had 1 season where he fit on this team and it took a 38 year old to find the fountain of youth for 1 season to make him look good.

 

[Jargon]

I actually agree with Hodge, Labanc is a fairly good player just a bit overpaid. He is what he is and has moments where he looks like a superstar and moments where he seems totally lost but ultimately he’s one of our more skilled guys (sad, sad.)

Also I’m fairly convinced now that Grier’s plan is purely to make this a culture-forming/teaching Tank year. He won’t add any players, he’ll definitely trade some for picks at the deadline while providing the right environment for our very young guys to grow into the highest potential version of themselves. It’s not going to be super fun to watch, but if it means a top 5 pick in this draft and a very ready Guschin, Bordeleau, Eklund aaaand Bedard (hee hee) to step in next year, then suddenly next year is Year 1 of building a competitive team.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I actually agree with Hodge, Labanc is a fairly good player just a bit overpaid. He is what he is and has moments where he looks like a superstar and moments where he seems totally lost but ultimately he’s one of our more skilled guys (sad, sad.)

Also I’m fairly convinced now that Grier’s plan is purely to make this a culture-forming/teaching Tank year. He won’t add any players, he’ll definitely trade some for picks at the deadline while providing the right environment for our very young guys to grow into the highest potential version of themselves. It’s not going to be super fun to watch, but if it means a top 5 pick in this draft and a very ready Guschin, Bordeleau, Eklund aaaand Bedard (hee hee) to step in next year, then suddenly next year is Year 1 of building a competitive team.

I agree with the classifying him as a middle six tweener that is overpaid but they should be looking to move him when it's advantageous, if it's ever advantageous. But the hate for Labanc comes because he can be better than that and the things that hold him back is largely in between his ears.

 

[Hodge]

He put up 40, 56 and 33 points along side thornton. Since thornton left, it has been 28 and 6 points. Won't count the 6 point season against him as it was an injury riddled season.

In the 28 point season, he averaged 2:10 minutes per game of power play time. The year before with thornton it was 2.25 per game. For comparison his big season for 56 points with thornton he got 2:19 of power play time per game.

So as you can see his deployment for ice time stayed roughly the same, but who he was skating with changed. But he has got worse and worse each year. He does not work with meier, couture, hertl and even kane when he was around. He is not good enough defensively to be on a checking line and he does not do enough offensively to be on the top 2 lines. And this does not take into account that he makes 4 mil per season into account. He had 1 season where he fit on this team and it took a 38 year old to find the fountain of youth for 1 season to make him look good.

His 5v5 points per 60 minutes rate has been fairly consistent: 1.4 his rookie year, 1.3 in 2017-18, 2.1 during the breakout season, 1.5 in 2019-20, then 2.0 in 2021. Three years producing like a low end second liner, two years at more of a high end second line level. The fluctuating power play production is what makes his overall point totals look a bit all over the place.

Labanc is strictly a complementary winger but you're wrong about him needing Thornton or anyone specific in order to produce. He just needs to play with good players in general to be productive, he's not going to carry a third line with a couple of nobodies. He's not as bad defensively as people make him out to be either.

I wouldn't want the Sharks to go out and acquire Labanc but since they already have him and are basically stuck with him at least through next year's trade deadline due to his contract, I think he's fine in a second line role on a bad team and far down the list of reasons they are a bad team.

 

[Gecklund]

His 5v5 points per 60 minutes rate has been fairly consistent: 1.4 his rookie year, 1.3 in 2017-18, 2.1 during the breakout season, 1.5 in 2019-20, then 2.0 in 2021. Three years producing like a low end second liner, two years at more of a high end second line level. The fluctuating power play production is what makes his overall point totals look a bit all over the place.

Labanc is strictly a complementary winger but you're wrong about him needing Thornton or anyone specific in order to produce. He just needs to play with good players in general to be productive, he's not going to carry a third line with a couple of nobodies. He's not as bad defensively as people make him out to be either.

I wouldn't want the Sharks to go out and acquire Labanc but since they already have him and are basically stuck with him at least through next year's trade deadline due to his contract, I think he's fine in a second line role on a bad team and far down the list of reasons they are a bad team.

I agree with your last paragraph a lot. Actually all of it but specifically the last paragraph. Labanc is fine. I’m not a fan at all but that’s more because he’s mostly invisible and doesn’t do much defensively. I’d do what I could to trade him but if he’s still with the team whatever.

 

[PacificOceanPotion]

I thought Labanc looked pretty good the first two games this season. His shot looks as good as ever. Only a matter of time before he hits pay dirt with that whip of a shot. Not ready to give up on him just yet.

 

[TheBeard]

I actually agree with Hodge, Labanc is a fairly good player just a bit overpaid. He is what he is and has moments where he looks like a superstar and moments where he seems totally lost but ultimately he’s one of our more skilled guys (sad, sad.)

As I've said earlier, no one would be criticizing DW for this deal had it happened immediately after his breakout season.

 

[Hodge]

As I've said earlier, no one would be criticizing DW for this deal had it happened immediately after his breakout season.

Not really. 3-4 years at 3-4 million per year would have been reasonable based on RFA comparables at the time.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Not really. 3-4 years at 3-4 million per year would have been reasonable based on RFA comparables at the time.

The entire reason he asked Labanc to take that deal is because they couldn't afford the alternative that year when they were giving Karlsson his deal. But if he had the opportunity to give Labanc a four year deal or even a five year deal where he either walks him straight to UFA or only buys one UFA year for that sort of cap hit then he's still handing out a very bad deal.

 

[TheBeard]

Not really. 3-4 years at 3-4 million per year would have been reasonable based on RFA comparables at the time.

When you factor in the additional year at 1 million, it was essentially a 5 year/19.9 million dollar contract, or in between 3-4.

The entire reason he asked Labanc to take that deal is because they couldn't afford the alternative that year when they were giving Karlsson his deal. But if he had the opportunity to give Labanc a four year deal or even a five year deal where he either walks him straight to UFA or only buys one UFA year for that sort of cap hit then he's still handing out a very bad deal.

TBH, i think some people emphasize the RFA/UFA aspect of contracts far too much for middle six guys, especially when it comes to the difference in AAV. He either exceeds the deal and you work something out or he doesn't and you let him walk. He was never going to be anything more than what we saw that year.