After losing forward Zach Hyman in free agency, Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas didn’t swing for the fences when trying to find a replacement. Instead, Dubas played it conservatively in signing some value depth forwards and hope they produce. Unlike the others, one of these transactions hit a move that went over most of the media’s heads during the offseason. That move was signing forward Michael Bunting to a 2-Year deal worth $950,000. The Toronto native had an interesting road to the national hockey league. One that certainly had its ups and downs, but when Michael was given his shot, he never looked back.
Michael caught fire early on in the National Hockey League once, earning a call-up from the Arizona Coyotes in 2020. Playing in twenty-one games that season for Arizona, Bunting scored ten goals and three assists for thirteen points. After Arizona failed to keep him around, he signed with some familiar faces in, Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe. Both members of the Leafs staff were in the same position when Bunting was a player for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. The prior experience working together, mixed with the opportunity of playing in his hometown, was too good of an offer to refuse.
After Bunting’s breakout season last year with the Maple Leafs, he’s no longer a secret weapon. Last season most opponents might have overlooked the 27-year-old, but this time around, they’d be foolish. Michael totaled sixty-three points in seventy-nine games last season for the blue and white. Most of his production was seen on a line with franchise players Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but Bunting certainly deserves credit for what he accomplished in 2021-22. The hard-driven, gritty forward was always reliable in front and rarely caught out of position. He will never blow you away with the silky plays or the highlight reel passes, but his ability to keep it simple and be effective on a line with two superstars makes him so valuable.
On Wednesday afternoon TSN’s Pierre LeBrun posted a tweet regarding Michael Bunting and his contract situation. Pierre believes an eight-year term will appeal to both sides if the average annual value is fair. A long-term extension like this would benefit the Maple Leafs organization from a cap hit perspective but certainly carries significant risk. Moves like this aren’t necessarily common in the National Hockey League. The first one that comes to mind is Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nick Paul, who signed for seven years at just over three million average annual value per season. With the cap projected to rise significantly in the future, this is a move the blue and white can certainly make if wanted.
The biggest risk is committing that much term and money to a player that isn’t necessarily part of your core. Bunting is a key contributor, but he’s also got a shallow track record at the NHL level and had his breakout season coming on a line with Matthews and Marner. There’s no questioning the talent in Michael Bunting. He’s a straight-line forward that every team would love to have. He’s also not afraid to stick it to your opponent’s face either, which is a key factor for this Leafs lineup. However, I would prefer to see how Michael Bunting can produce when driving his own line. When committing heavily to a player seen as a complementary piece of your roster, it can get ugly, and the Leafs don’t necessarily have the cap freedom to throw money around like nothing.
The Maple Leafs are in a challenging situation when it comes to extending Michael Bunting. If you let the talented 27-year-old hit the open market, he could see some extreme numbers that the blue and white won’t be able to match. A scoring forward with that spice of aggression certainly won’t leave him on the open market for long. I wouldn’t be upset if the Maple Leafs did commit Michael, he’s an electric player that’s earned everything he’s gotten, and I love seeing him succeed. However, I’m still a bit conservative with this conversation because we haven’t seen too much. A short stint with the Arizona Coyotes and only a season with the Maple Leafs isn’t a great sample size when committing to an 8-year deal.
When it’s all said and done, this transaction can be seen as a fantastic or worst move ever. I would like to see what Bunting can do from now until closer to the new year. This way, Kyle will have more work to evaluate with. Bunting’s got all the signs to be successful long-term, and his underlying numbers prove that. Obviously, this is a wait-and-see situation, but I’m hoping Leafs management doesn’t over-commit or wait too long on an excellent hockey player.
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