On Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts podcast, the NHL insider said he thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs will have San Jose Sharks winger Luke Kunin on their trade radar.
On Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts podcast, the NHL insider said he thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs will have San Jose Sharks winger Luke Kunin on their trade radar.
On Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts podcast, the NHL insider said he thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs will have San Jose Sharks winger Luke Kunin on their trade radar.
Friedman referenced the moment Luke Kunin started three fights in four seconds during the Sharks' 6-5 loss to the Nashville Predators on January. 23.
"The guy who started it all in one second of game time after it was 3-0 was Luke Kunin. I look at that guy, and I was watching this, and I was saying, I could see him being a Leaf target," Friedman said. "He's got 11 goals this year. He's scored double-digit goals in five of the last six years, and the one year he didn't, he was hurt for a chunk of it. He's a UFA next year. He's at $2.75 million. He can play different positions. He can play up and down your lineup."
Friedman went on to discuss Kunin's face-off ability. The utility forward has a 49% win percentage this season but has an over 50% win percentage on the penalty kill and during defensive zone face-offs.
"[The Maple Leafs] have been interested in Kunin before," Friedman said. "[Brad] Treliving generally has a type, and once he's interested in you, he kind of sticks with his thoughts about you.
"I watched him start that fight, and I was like, I don't know what San Jose's plans are here, but I could see Kunin being on Toronto's radar. That's the kind of player that [Craig] Berube and Treliving would like. So add him to your list of guys that I would put on Toronto's radar."
Kunin has had a strong year for the Sharks in a middle-six forward role. He's filled in at center for head coach Ryan Warsofsky and played an effective 200-foot game. He's matched last season's offensive totals with 11 goals and seven assists in 52 games, compared to 77 in 23-24.
The NHL Trade Deadline is on March 7.
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