The San Jose Sharks acquired forward Luke Kunin from the Nashville Predators last week, in exchange for forward John Leonard and a 2023 third-round pick.
Kunin is 24 years old and has played 251 NHL games to this point, between his time with both the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators. This past season, Kunin scored 13 goals and 22 points in 82 games.
While Kunin’s production took a hit this year, previous seasons would point to the fact that his ceiling is quite a bit higher. Over the two years prior to the 2021-22 season, Kunin had averaged a pace of 20 goals and 40 points per 82 games.
He should get a great opportunity with the Sharks, given the team’s lack of forward depth, and could end up playing fairly high in the lineup. As a result, there’s a really good chance that Kunin’s numbers will bounce back.
When the trade was announced, I asked readers in a poll whether or not they liked the trade, with the result being that 81 per cent of readers were happy with the move for San Jose.
The Sharks did give up John Leonard as part of the return, who’s still just 23 years old. While Leonard spent most of the year in the AHL, he has the potential to become an effective NHL forward, with good speed and some offensive upside. That said, getting a legitimate NHL forward in Kunin, who’s still just 24 years old himself, in exchange for Leonard and a mid-round pick is a win for the Sharks.
San Jose will have to sign Kunin to a new contract, with the forward currently being a restricted free agent. That said, we can likely expect a fairly cheap, short-term deal, which shouldn’t be much of an issue.
San Jose didn’t have to give up much in the deal and with Kunin still being fairly young, he could be a long-term fit with the team. The Sharks could use more young (but proven) talent in their lineup and adding Kunin was a solid move for the team.
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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