Report: Sharks’ Luke Kunin scratched for trade-related purposes

San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin will be held out of the lineup Thursday versus the Colorado Avalanche due to trade-related purposes, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston.

Through 63 appearances with the Sharks this season, Kunin has scored 11 goals and added seven assists for 18 points coupled with 46 penalty minutes and a minus-24 rating.

Originally chosen 15th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2016 NHL Draft, Kunin has totaled 422 career contests counting stops with the Wild, Nashville Predators, and Sharks in which he has collected 73 goals and 69 assists for 142 points. With the Wild in 2019-20, Kunin reached a career-high 31 points counting 15 goals and 16 assists coming in 63 outings. The 27-year-old native of Chesterfield, Mo., has also notched four goals and one assist for five points through 14 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Per PuckPedia, Kunin is on a one-year contract that carries a $2.75-million annual average value. Kunin is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason.

Ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline, the Sharks have already made several moves including a Thursday deal that saw the club ship center Nico Sturm to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers alongside a seventh-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Sharks acquired defenseman Vincent Desharnais from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal that saw the club part with a fifth-round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft.

The rebuilding Sharks enter Thursday’s contest against the Avalanche sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 17-37-9 record and 43 points. However, the Sharks will take on the Avalanche looking for their third-straight victory following back-to-back wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.