Luke Kunin

Kunin was on his way to a career year before suffering a torn ACL in December. His first campaign with the Sharks saw him register 13 points, 63 hits and 32 PIM in 31 contests prior to the injury. Barring any offseason training setbacks, it's expected he'll be healthy for training camp, where he'll again be in contention for a bottom-six role. The 25-year-old is more of a physical force than a scorer, so his fantasy value is too low to be of interest in most formats. However, there's also the potential he could play his way up the lineup for a weak Sharks team. It might be worth monitoring how Kunin's usage appears to be shaking out during training camp.

Kunin played in all 82 games for Nashville a season ago, finishing with 13 goals and 22 points. He also added 223 hits, by far his most in any single campaign. It was such a significant jump that it's fair to wonder whether it was a fluke or something that will continue. Kunin was traded to San Jose at the draft, ultimately inking a new two-year, $5.5 million deal with the club. He should again be deployed in a depth role with his new team, limiting his value to leagues which place an extra emphasis on hits.

For the second straight season, Kunin scored right around a half-point-per-game, notching 10 goals and 19 points through 38 contests. Despite the similar offensive production, the Missouri native took on a much more physical role in his first season with Nashville in 2020-21. He averaged 13:59 of ice time and racked up 84 hits after averaging 15:28 of ice time with 64 hits across 63 games with the Wild during the 2019-20 campaign. The 23-year-old winger also shot a career-high 14.1 percent on 71 shots. Kunin should be in line for his second career season with over 30 points as a key middle-six skater this season.

Kunin is coming off his best NHL season with 15 goals and 31 points in 63 outings. He was flipped from the Wild to the Predators in exchange for Nick Bonino in October. At 23 years old, Kunin is a player on the rise. That said, he should slot into a middle-six role with some power-play time, and there's plenty of reason to think he'll finish between 25 and 30 points with roughly a hit per game. That gives Kunin depth value in deeper fantasy formats.

Kunin enjoyed a much better pro season than his first, playing in 49 games at the top level and racking up 17 points. The 15th overall pick from 2016 has a strong all-around skill set, and his offensive ceiling is boosted by an exceptional hockey IQ that seems to consistently put him in the right place at the right time in all three zones. The St. Louis native figures to be a near lock for the Opening Night roster and will almost certainly remain with the big club for the majority of the campaign. The depth chart seems to be stacked at forward, but Kunin should push for a role on one of the top three lines.

Kunin's first full season as a pro didn't exactly go as the Wild had planned. The 20-year-old acquitted himself fairly well with AHL Iowa, scoring 10 goals and 19 points in 36 games, but he didn't make much of an impact with the big club before a torn ACL ended his campaign in early March. The 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft has a strong all-round skill set, and his offensive ceiling is boosted by an exceptional hockey IQ that seems to consistently put him in the right place at the right time in all three zones. Kunin's recovery has gone well and he should be 100 percent by training camp, but a return to the AHL to begin 2018-19 isn't out of the question. Once he's proven his knee is fine, however, look for him to quickly challenge for a top-nine spot.

The 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft got his profession career off to a promising start by scoring five goals with two assists in 12 games in the AHL last year after playing for the University of Wisconsin. He could be an impact player when he reaches the NHL. He'll compete for a roster spot in training camp, but most likely begins the season in the AHL again.