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Columbus Blue Jackets trade for Luke Kunin in deal with San Jose Sharks
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- Columbus Blue Jackets trade for Luke Kunin in deal with San Jose Sharks
It looked like the Blue Jackets might stand pat at the NHL trade deadline Friday, but they decided to add.
The Blue Jackets acquired center Luke Kunin , 27, in a trade with the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick that originally belonged to the St. Louis Blues . The pick was in a trade last summer that sent forward Alexandre Texier to the Blues prior to the league's draft in Las Vegas.
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"Luke can play any forward position," said Don Waddell, the Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations/general manager. "He's played 'em all. Obviously, he's been a natural centerman for years, but he's played the wing. ... He's a very trustworthy player, where if you put him in a spot, he'd succeed, and he's a coach's dream, as far as he'll do what you ask him to do. Having that experience goes a long way, and when I talked to Luke, he was excited about being here."
Feb 23, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (11) during the face off against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Kunin, who stands 6-feet, 197 pounds, played for Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason with the Minnesota Wild and made left a good impression. Now, he's heading to the Blue Jackets after adding 11 goals, seven assists and 18 points in 63 games for the Sharks as a pending unrestricted free agent.
Kunin is the second depth forward the Blue Jackets added in as many days, after Christian Fischer was claimed off waivers Thursday from the Detroit Red Wings . Fischer, like Kunin, is a pending UFA at season's end.
Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Columbus Blue Jackets hang onto Ivan Provorov , protect Mateychuk 's AHL playoff eligibility
The Blue Jackets opted not to trade any of their own "rentals" for draft picks, including stout two-way defenseman Ivan Provorov, who probably could've garnered a handsome return. Waddell preferred to add around the "edges" before the deadline rather than subtracting from a surprising team that has defied long odds to join the intense race for a playoff spot.
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"I had a few (teams) that poked around today and (Thursday) to see if we'd changed our opinion on that," Waddell said. "For what we've been through, I just felt that I could not rip a big part of this team out of that locker room. I just didn't think it was fair to the rest of the guys, the coaches or the fans."
The Blue Jackets also re-assigned rookie defenseman Denton Mateychuk and loaned forward Joe LaBate to the Cleveland Monsters before the trade deadline, which makes both eligible to compete in the AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs this spring. Mateychuk's assignment was likely a "paper" transaction, which means he could officially rejoin the Blue Jackets at practice Saturday.
Jan 30, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (11) shoots the puck while defended by Seattle Kraken defenseman Cale Fleury (8) during the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Kunin was selected 15th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2016 and has played 422 NHL games over eight seasons between the Wild, Nashville Predators and Sharks. Playing for San Jose the past three seasons, one of the NHL's most overmatched teams, Kunin was saddled with an ugly -63 plus/minus while adding 27-22-49 offensively in 171 games.
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He's versatile, shoots from the right side and averaged 15:15 in ice time this season. Kunin will most likely vie for a role on the Blue Jackets' third or fourth lines, which already have a host of veterans to fill out those lines with Sean Kuraly , Mathieu Olivier , Zach Aston-Reese , Justin Danforth , Fischer and James van Riemsdyk .
Detroit Red Wings right wing Christian Fischer (36) puts on maize and blue skate protectors before practice at Ohio Stadium in preparation for the NHL Stadium Series game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.
The Sharks' struggles as an inexperienced team make it difficult to put Kunin's play into full context for the Blue Jackets, who are involved in a tight playoff chase in the Eastern Conference and currently reside in the first of two wild-card spots.
Kunin has topped 160 hits each of the past two seasons and set a career-high with 223 hits for the Predators in 2021-22, one of two seasons he helped get Nashville into the postseason. Kunin has logged 14 playoff games between the Predators and Wild and provides the Blue Jackets with additional depth after along with Fischer.
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"Adding a little size and grit (never) hurts, especially in the roles (Kunin and Fischer) are going to play," Waddel said. "They're up and down guys who finish checks and hopefully chip in (offensively) now and then."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Luke Kunin trade: Blue Jackets land San Jose Sharks star at deadline
