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Elliotte Friedman Mentions Hard-Hitting Center in San Jose in Connection to the Leafs

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Mike Armenti
January 24, 2025 (11:07)

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In discussing the Maple Leafs, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman had brought up San Jose's Luke Kunin as a realistic trade target in Toronto ahead of the trade deadline.

In recent weeks, members of Leafs Nation and loyal listeners of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast may have noticed a lack of Maple Leafs coverage on the program.

Upon realizing this, I took to social media to reach out to Friedman directly to inquire as to why that is. To my surprise, Friedman sent me a DM, explaining his lack of Leafs coverage on both 32 Thoughts: The Podcast and the written version of his blog, assuring me that it was not intentional and thanking me for the feedback -- a classy gesture from a heavyweight in the industry who didn't owe me anything.

Friedman went on to mention Maple Leafs Daily by name in the most recent episode of the podcast before giving the fans in Toronto a nice treat, committing a good chunk of airtime to the Leafs, even bringing up an intriguing trade target, whom the Leafs had been linked to in the past in forward Luke Kunin.

With the March 7th trade deadline quickly approaching, it's no secret that the Maple Leafs have some boxes that need checking before the deadline comes and goes.

A 3rd line center is perhaps the most important box that needs checking in Toronto at the moment, and while there are other options out there (like Islanders forward Brock Nelson), Luke Kunin, Friedman's suggestion on the January 24th edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, may be a more realistic option for the Maple Leafs.

"I could see [Kunin] being a Leafs target. He's got 11 goals this year. He's a guy who's scored double-digit goals, I think it's 5 now of the last 6 years, and the one year he didn't, he was hurt for a chunk of it. He's a UFA next year. I think he's at $2.75M. He can play different positions, he can kind of play up and down your lineup. I looked at his faceoffs -- his faceoffs are pretty interesting -- he's at, I think, 49% for the season, but he's 51% in the D zone and he's got a good percentage on the penalty kill... but they've been interested in Kunin before, and Treliving generally has a type, and once he's interested in you, he kind of sticks with his thoughts about you. I watched [Kunin] start that fight [against Nashville] and I was like, 'I don't know what San Jose's plans are here, but I could see Kunin being on Toronto's radar'. That's the kind of player that I think Berube and Treliving would like, so add him to your list of guys that I would put on Toronto's radar."

The 27-year-old center isn't going to win any scoring races in his NHL career, but he's going to be a quality depth contributor on any team he plays for and he's going to give you everything he has on every shift -- a player archetype that Craig Berube and Brad Treliving covet in Toronto.

Kunin's 18 points in 51 games don't jump off the page, but his 53 blocked shots and 128 hits certainly do, as these intangibles are the types of contributions that can help a team win a championship.

The Leafs had a representative scouting a Sharks-Bruins game earlier this week, so it's possible that they're already keeping a close eye on Kunin ahead of the deadline, though there may be other players in San Jose they could be looking at as well.

Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily

Maple Leafs May Have Brand New High Profile Trade Target After Recent Suggestion

Former Maple Leafs Winger Absolutely Torching the KHL, Breaks League Record

Multiple Maple Leafs Back Auston Matthews' Claims About a Quiet Scotiabank Arena

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JANVIER 24 \| 1948 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman Mentions Hard-Hitting Center in San Jose in Connection to the Leafs Should the Maple Leafs bring in hard-hitting Luke Kunin ahead of the deadline?
Yes	1402	72 %
No	546	28 %
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Elliotte Friedman Mentions Hard-Hitting Center in San Jose in Connection to the Leafs

In discussing the Maple Leafs, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman had brought up San Jose's Luke Kunin as a realistic trade target in Toronto ahead of the trade deadline.

Should the Maple Leafs bring in hard-hitting Luke Kunin ahead of the deadline?