Panthers Assign Luke Kunin to Charlotte Checkers After Clearing Waivers

The Florida Panthers have assigned forward Luke Kunin to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers after he cleared NHL waivers, per ProHockeyRumors citing Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and a Charlotte Checkers news release dated March 2. The Checkers’ release notes Kunin appeared in 44 games for Florida this season, scoring two goals and adding two assists while accumulating 23 penalty minutes.

The Chesterfield, Missouri native is 28 years old and comes to Charlotte with a lengthy NHL resume. Per the Checkers’ notice, Kunin has skated in 478 NHL games with the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Panthers, compiling 75 goals, 71 assists for 146 points and 410 penalty minutes in his career. He was selected 15th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Kunin signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with Florida in the offseason, a contract move documented in team reports and summarized on his Wikipedia entry with a team footnote dated August 22, 2025. The Hockey News framed the on-ice result: “The Panthers had hoped he could serve as the team’s fourth-line center, but Kunin has struggled with inconsistency and faltered on the offensive end.” That evaluation matches his 2025–26 line of four points in 44 games noted by the Checkers release.

Charlotte’s announcement also flagged Kunin’s AHL experience. He previously played parts of three seasons in Iowa, posting 47 points — 27 goals and 20 assists — in 76 AHL games, per the Checkers. The Hockey News added that if Kunin cleared waivers he would play his first AHL game since the 2018-19 season; ProHockeyRumors confirmed that Friedman reported he had cleared waivers.

The roster move carries an administrative subtext. Sports Yahoo and The Hockey News pointed out that Sandis Vilmanis does not require waivers, and sending Kunin down “shows they like what Vilmanis brings to the Panthers’ lineup and have been disappointed by what Kunin has brought to the organization.” ProHockeyRumors placed Kunin’s clearance in the day’s waiver context, noting St. Louis lost Robby Fabbri to a claim by Minnesota the same day and that “both [Fabbri and Kunin] were former first round picks with at least 450 games of NHL experience, although they’ve become journeymen at this stage in their careers.”

Sunrisehockeyinsider captured Kunin on the ice as recently as Feb. 27 at Amerant Bank Arena, where a photo caption described him moving the puck against Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Sunrise called the transaction “a tough roster decision” by head coach Paul Maurice. With the assignment official, Kunin will report to Charlotte, where his first AHL action since 2018-19 will be closely watched by the Panthers’ staff and by a team that used its waiver window to reshuffle depth ahead of the playoff stretch.