NHL Free Agency: With Center Crop Depleted, Luke Kunin Has Plenty of Interest

The list of UFA centers around the NHL has dwindled down to almost nothing at this point, meaning that teams still in need have started to zero in on 27-year-old eight-year veteran Luke Kunin.

Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period tells us that Kunin has interest from "multiple clubs" and is closing in on a deal.

Luke Kunin has generated interest from multiple clubs and it sounds like he’s closing in on a deal. Of note, Kunin changed agents recently and is now represented by Craig Oster.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 3, 2025

Kunin is a bottom-six physical center who can crash the net and throw his body around. He's had double-digits in goals in five of the last six seasons.

He was a commodity at the trade deadline back in March, when, just as they are now, teams were on the hunt for serviceable centermen. The Columbus Blue Jackets dealt for him from the San Jose Sharks, though they later moved him to right wing on their fourth line.

The former first-round pick (15th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2016 NHL Draft) is coming off a one-year, $2.75 million deal that he signed with the Sharks last summer. He had 11 goals and 18 points in 75 games for San Jose and Columbus this past season, while handing out his usual large complement of hits, at 187.