Sharks’ head coach Boughner sits $4.725 million in the press box

San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner has made the decision to send a strong message in the dressing room ahead of tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames.

Forward Kevin Labanc, who has gone without a point in his last six games, will be a scratch for one of the few times in his NHL career. The 25-year-old is currently in the second year of a four-year, $18.9 million contract, but has played in the bottom six forward group almost all season. With tonight’s healthy scratch, Boughner sits $4.725 million in the press box to send a message and hopes Labanc will find his game back.

In Sunday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Labanc caused a giveaway in the first period inside the Sharks’ zone, which led to the Jackets’ first goal. The Sharks lost 6-4 and Labanc finished with a season-low 10:25 of ice time.

Labanc missed five games in early November after he was placed in the NHL’s COVID protocol, but tonight he is sitting due to a coach’s decision.

“He just needs to be better,” Boughner said of Labanc. “We need more from him. We’ve tried him on different lines and we want to play with a certain identity and everybody’s got to be on that same page.”

The Sharks’ fourth line Tuesday will feature Jasper Weatherby in the middle with Jonah Gadjovich and Lane Pederson on the wings.

Labanc has six points in 19 games, with four of those points coming on the power play. Before this season, he had 157 points in 284 regular-season games.

“It’s time to just be better and find your ‘A-game.’ We want to play a certain way and that has to be every guy in that room, and it’s got to be consistent — game after game after game. If I had to label one thing, it’s consistency in (Labanc’s) game.”

Let’s see how Labanc reacts to the scratch whenever he returns to the lineup.