Why the Maple Leafs should trade for Sharks’ Luke Kunin

Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman has linked San Jose Sharks forward Luke Kunin as a potential trade candidate for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Friedman discussed Kunin during his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, and opened up about the possibility of the two teams swinging a deal. “A couple things about the Maple Leafs, there’s a lot of talk about what they’re going to do, and there’s no question they are going to add another forward, or at least they will try to,” stated Friedman.

“I was watching a little bit of San Jose and Nashville on Thursday night…I look at that guy (Luke Kunin), and I was saying – I could see him being a Leaf target. He’s got 11 goals this year, he’s a guy that’s scored double-digit goals five of the last six years, and the one year he didn’t, he was hurt for a chunk of it.”

Friedman carried on to suggest the Maple Leafs have been interested in Kunin before and cited his versatility to play all over the lineup as something that could appeal to the Maple Leafs.

Adding Kunin certainly makes a level of sense for Maple Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving. He’s a solid penalty killer for the Sharks, averaging 1:44 of ice-time shorthanded, meanwhile sits at 15:05 total per game. He’s won over 50% of his faceoffs while on the PK, and would certainly be a welcomed addition to the Leafs lineup, as they’ve been running basically all season long without a right-handed centre. With the inconsistent play of Max Domi this season, losing his spot down the middle of the lineup recently to rookie Fraser Minten, it makes a ton of sense for the Leafs to search for more depth at the position.

Kunin plays with an edge, he’s not scared to drop the gloves, and his sandpaper is what could be appealing to Treliving, Craig Berube and company. Kunin’s game isn’t built on blazing speed, as he’s in the 59th percentile for skating, according to NHL Edge, however, with the Maple Leafs in the market for a middle-six centre, he could be a solid pickup for Toronto’s third line, heading into what the team hopes is a long playoff push.

The Sharks forward has landed 130 hits on the year, which would rank him first among Leafs’ forwards. While he only has 14 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt, his in-your-face style is perfectly suited for playoff-style hockey, and considering he’s 27 years old, there’s potential this could be the type of pickup where the Leafs give him an audition for the rest of this season, and potentially extend him this upcoming offseason. Kunin’s in the final season of his deal, earning $2.7-million AAV, and does not have any trade protection.

It makes sense for the Sharks to test the trade market on all of their pending free agents. They’re once again bound for the NHL’s Draft Lottery, and GM Mike Grier would be wise to try and cash in on as many assets as possible, while the team continues to rebuild the talent throughout their organization.

Keep an eye on Kunin. He’d be a great depth addition for the Maple Leafs, and bring another element of toughness to their lineup.