Kunin scored twice on three shots and went plus-3 in Saturday's 6-5 preseason win over the Golden Knights.
Kunin scored twice over the final three minutes of the game, tying it at 5-5 before Ethan Cardwell netted the game-winner with 12 seconds to go. The 26-year-old Kunin saw 21:02 of ice time Saturday, with the Sharks dressing a number of AHL-level players. It's expected his role will be smaller in the regular season -- Kunin averaged 15:44 per game while producing 18 points over 77 contests in 2023-24.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Agrees to one-year deal
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Kunin signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with San Jose on Sunday.
Kunin collected 11 goals, 18 points, 98 shots on net and 165 hits across 77 games with the Sharks during the 2023-24 campaign. Despite having limited offensive upside, the 26-year-old forward could occupy a middle-six role and see power-play time next season.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Nets goal Thursday
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Kunin scored a goal on two shots, logged three hits, blocked four shots, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Kraken.
Kunin filled the box score in this contest. The center has earned three points over his last four appearances while adding 10 hits and a plus-3 rating in that span. He's been solid in a middle-six role this season, racking up 18 points, 96 shots on net, 162 hits, 58 blocked shots, 81 PIM and a minus-26 rating through 74 outings. Kunin's offense is too low to help in most fantasy formats, but he offers upside with physicality.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Scores in home state
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Kunin scored a goal on two shots, added three hits and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Blues.
The Missouri native scored in his home state, stretching the Sharks' lead to 3-0 late in the second period. Kunin entered Saturday on an eight-game point drought, and he hadn't scored since a two-goal game versus the Flames on Feb. 15. The 26-year-old center is up to nine goals, 15 points, 91 shots on net, 144 hits, 49 blocked shots, 67 PIM and a minus-27 rating through 68 appearances in a middle-six role.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Dishes two assists
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Kunin notched two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Stars.
Kunin set up goals by linemates William Eklund and Filip Zadina as the Sharks twice established one-goal leads. The 26-year-old Kunin has a pair of multi-point efforts over his last eight games, but he's gone scoreless in the other six contests in that span. He's seeing second-line minutes and has 12 points, 78 shots on net, 111 hits, 41 blocked shots, 53 PIM and a minus-19 rating over 54 appearances this season.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Ready to rock
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Kunin (undisclosed) will play Saturday versus the Predators, Max Miller of The Hockey News reports.
Kunin ultimately won't miss a game after being labeled questionable Friday. The 26-year-old will return to a second-line role and may also feature on the power play, while Kevin Labanc is set to exit the lineup.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Game-time call for Saturday
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Kunin (undisclosed) is slated to be a game-time decision Saturday, coach David Quinn told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now on Friday.
Kunin has eight goals, 10 points, 53 PIM and 107 hits in 50 appearances in 2023-24. If he can't play Saturday, then Justin Bailey might remain in the lineup despite being projected as a healthy scratch.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Tallies twice in win
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Kunin scored a pair of goals on four shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Flames.
Kunin was credited with a power-play goal in the second period that Chris Tanev put into his own net. In the third, Kunin did the work himself on his second goal. The 26-year-old had posted just one goal over the prior 24 contests since he returned from an upper-body injury in December. Despite that lengthy cold spell, he's up to eight goals and two assists through 48 outings this season. The 26-year-old has added 71 shots on net, 97 hits, 53 PIM and a minus-16 rating while filling a middle-six role.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Activated from IR
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Kunin (upper body) was activated from injured reserve Tuesday.
Kunin was not expected to play Tuesday against Winnipeg, but his removal from the IR list may change that. He hasn't played for the past five contests. Kunin has collected five goals, two assists, 40 shots on net, 20 blocked shots and 29 hits in 23 games this season.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Looking to play Friday
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Kunin (upper body) will not play against Winnipeg on Tuesday but could return for Friday's clash with Arizona, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Kunin will be shelved for his sixth consecutive contest due to his upper-body injury. Prior to getting hurt, the Missouri native was struggling offensively with just one point in his last six contests while recording just 1.6 shots per game over that stretch. Once Kunin is cleared to play, San Jose could go back to utilizing 12 forwards and six defensemen.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Placed on injured reserve
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Kunin (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.
Kunin, who was a late scratch for Friday's 6-3 loss to New Jersey, will miss at least the next three games following his placement on the IR list. Kunin has five goals and seven points in 23 games this season.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Unavailable Friday
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Kunin (upper body) will not play Friday against the Devils, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Kunin was a late scratch Friday and it's unclear how severe his upper-body issue is. He has just seven points in 23 games this season, though five of those have come in his last nine appearances. Kevin Labanc will replace Kunin in Friday's lineup.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Nets winner on power play
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Kunin scored a power-play goal on three shots in Monday's 2-1 win over the Capitals.
Kunin snapped his four-game point drought with his third-period tally, which was the game-winner. The 25-year-old got a turn as a top-six center due to Tomas Hertl (middle body) being out of the lineup. Kunin has done alright while floating around the lineup this year, racking up five goals, two assists, 40 shots on net, 27 hits, 18 blocked shots, 27 PIM and a minus-11 rating through 22 appearances. Two of his seven points have come with the man advantage.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Goal, assist in win
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Kunin scored a goal on three shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Blues.
Kunin and Givani Smith set up each other's goals just 46 seconds apart in the second period. This was Kunin's third straight game with a goal, and it was also his first multi-point effort. He did that despite seeing just 11:52 of ice time on the fourth line, his second-lowest mark of the season. The 25-year-old forward has six points, 30 shots on net, 22 hits, 27 PIM, 13 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating through 17 outings.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Tallies again Tuesday
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Kunin scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Panthers.
Kunin has scored in consecutive contests for the first time this season. The 25-year-old forward has earned a second-line role lately with strong defensive play. He's up to four points with 27 shots on net, 27 PIM, 22 hits, 13 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating through 16 appearances overall.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Nets lone goal in loss
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Kunin scored a goal on two shots and added a fighting major in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Ducks.
Kunin's goal in the first period briefly tied the game at 1-1, and he fought Max Jones in the second. The goal snapped a four-game point drought for Kunin, who was placed on the second line for this contest. The 25-year-old forward is up to three points, 24 shots on net, 22 hits, 27 PIM, 11 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating through 15 outings.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Posts helper in Thursday's loss
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Kunin recorded a power-play assist, two shots on goal, two hits and seven PIM in Thursday's 10-1 loss to the Canucks.
Kunin has a goal and an assist over his last two games, accounting for all of his offense through 10 contests. He also logged his second fighting major in this games, dropping the mitts with Phil Di Giuseppe in the second period. Kunin has 19 shots on net, 16 PIM, a minus-6 rating and 17 hits while filling a middle-six role. While he's a solid defensive forward, drawing tough assignments while on the ice with the Sharks' porous defense and goaltending will lead to poor numbers in many areas for Kunin.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Activated Thursday
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Kunin (knee) was activated from long-term injured reserve Thursday, per CapFriendly.
Kunin missed the last four months of 2022-23 while recovering from a torn ACL that required surgery. With his activation, he's officially ready for training camp. Kunin should be able to be a regular in the Sharks' lineup, but it's not clear where the 25-year-old forward will slot in.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Shifts to LTIR
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Kunin (knee) was moved to long-term injured reserve Saturday, per CapFriendly.
Kunin underwent season-ending surgery Dec. 20 to repair a torn ACL. He concluded the 2022-23 campaign with five goals, 13 points, 58 shots on net, 27 blocked shots and 63 hits in 31 appearances.
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Sharks' Luke Kunin: Undergoes ACL surgery
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Kunin underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL on Tuesday and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Kunin will finish the campaign having picked up five goals, 13 points and a minus-9 rating while averaging 15:26 of ice time through 31 games. Kunin is expected to make a full recovery in 6-8 months, so as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks, he should be ready for next season's training camp.