By Joe Coopersmith
March 07, 2025
The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired center Luke Kunin from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fourth-round pick (originally belonging to St. Louis) in the 2025 NHL Draft, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell announced today.
Kunin, 27, has recorded 73 goals and 69 assists for 142 points with 378 penalty minutes and 695 shots on goal, while averaging 14:58 of ice time in 422 career games with the Sharks, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild since making his NHL debut in 2017-18. He has registered 10 or more goals in five of his six full NHL campaigns, including 11-7-18 and 46 PIM in 63 appearances with San Jose this season.
“Luke is a versatile forward who can play down the middle or on the wing, kills penalties and has tremendous character and work ethic,” said Waddell. “He has been a very consistent player throughout his career, and we think he’ll be a good addition to our club.”
The Chesterfield, Missouri native was originally selected by the Wild in the first-round, 15th overall, at the 2016 NHL Draft. He collected 2-2-4 and 13 PIM in 19 outings with Minnesota in 2017-18 and set career highs in 2019-20 with 15-16-31 in 63 appearances with the club. He set career highs in games played and penalty minutes with Nashville in 2021-22, finishing with 13-9-22 and 99 PIM while playing in all 82 games.
The 6-0, 197-pound forward registered 27-20-47 and 80 PIM in 76 games over three seasons with the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild from 2016-18. He played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin, where he tallied 41-29-70 in 69 outings from 2015-17 and earned Second Team NCAA West All-American honors in 2016-17. He also spent time with the U.S. National Development Team Program from 2013-15 and has represented Team USA at several international tournaments, including the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championships (gold medal) and two IIHF World Championships (2019, 2024).
The Blue Jackets return to action on Sunday at the New York Rangers. Game time from Madison Square Garden is 6 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on FanDuel Sports Network and the FanDuel Sports Network app. Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. with the “Blue Jackets Live” pre-game show. The contest will also be heard on the Blue Jackets Radio Network, including Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan in Columbus, and online at BlueJackets.com.
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