The trades keep coming on day two of the 2022 NHL Draft.
The latest team to get into the dealing spirit is the San Jose Sharks, who made a move to bolster their offensive depth on Friday afternoon by acquiring forward Luke Kunin from the Nashville Predators in exchange for prospect John Leonard and a 2023 third-round pick.
A pending restricted free agent, Kunin will need to sign a new deal this summer prior to the coming season. Given his lackluster production, though, his price tag likely won’t come in at an outrageous rate.
It’s been a whirlwind start in the NHL for Kunin. The 24-year-old is now on his third team in what is about to be six big-league seasons, bouncing from the Minnesota Wild, to the Predators, and now to the Sharks.
Suiting up in all 82 games for Nashville last season, Kunin had a somewhat underwhelming campaign, racking up 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points while logging a little under 14 minutes in ice time per night. Interestingly, Kunin saw a massive uptick in penalty minutes last season compared to his career average, serving 99 minutes in 2021-22 that nearly doubled his previous single-season high of 55.
Clearly, Kunin developed some fire last year as he fought for his NHL future.
On a comparatively weaker Sharks team now, Kunin will have far more opportunity to carve out a consistent role for himself at the highest level. Lauded by scouts after being selected 15th overall in 2016, there is clearly some potential in Kunin that he has yet to unlock.
Perhaps a lower-stakes environment is a perfect situation to allow him to do it.
