- With the Sharks adding four forwards to their roster this summer, there aren’t many openings up front for prospects. One idea to open up a spot would be to waive and demote frequent speculative trade candidate Kevin Labanc but Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News believes that option would be a far-fetched one. The 27-year-old is entering the final year of his contract which carries a $4.725MM AAV. Labanc has shown he can still produce after notching 15 goals in 72 games last season although that’s not a great return on their investment. San Jose has one salary retention slot remaining for 2023-24 and burying Labanc in the minors for any period of time would likely hurt their chances of moving him with 50% retention later in the year.