Bunting signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal with the Hurricanes on Saturday, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN.
The deal carries an AAV of $4.5 million. The 27-year-old Bunting tallied 23 goals and 26 assists in 82 games last season with Toronto. He'll bring some scoring upside and a physical presence (85 hits, 103 PIM) to Carolina's bottom six in 2023-24.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Scores goal in loss
Rotowire
Bunting scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's Game 1 defeat to the Panthers.
Bunting brought his four-game pointless streak to an end with Tuesday's marker. After returning from his three-game suspension, the Ontario native spent an additional game watching from the sidelines as a healthy scratch. As such, Bunting is far from a lock for the lineup even after scoring in Game 1.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Plays in Game 6 win
Rotowire
Bunting (healthy scratch) played 16:21 in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Lightning in Game 6.
Bunting slotted back into the top six and also saw 1:37 on the power play. He laid two hits and fired one shot. Bunting did a solid job keeping his cool and will need to do more of that in Round 2 once the Leafs know their opponent. One of the Bruins or Panthers will emerge as Toronto's combatant after Sunday's Game 7 matchup.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Will be scratched Thursday
Rotowire
Although Bunting is eligible to return from his three-game suspension, Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe won't use him in Game 5 against Tampa Bay on Thursday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
After the Maple Leafs dropped Game 1 with Bunting in the lineup, they won three straight contests during his suspension. Keefe presumably doesn't want to disrupt a winning lineup, but the coach does plan to put Bunting back in eventually. The 27-year-old had 23 goals and 49 points in 82 regular-season outings.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Eligible to return Thursday
Rotowire
Bunting has served his three-game suspension and will be available for Game 5 against the Lightning on Thursday.
Bunting should return to his spot on the first line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner despite having scored just once in his last eight contests. Still, the emergence of Matthew Knies could factor into the team's decision on whether or not to put Bunting back in that spot on the top line.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Given three-game suspension
Rotowire
Bunting was handed a three-game suspension by the NHL on Wednesday for an illegal check to the head and interference against Tampa Bay's Erik Cernak during Game 1 on Tuesday.
The incident occurred late in the second period, and Bunting was given a match penalty as a result of the play. The Leafs forward will be eligible to return for Game 5 on April 27, provided that contest is necessary. While Bunting is out, Wayne Simmonds or Matthew Knies might draw into the lineup.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Set for disciplinary hearing
Rotowire
Bunting will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for an illegal check to the head and interference against the Lightning's Erik Cernak in Tuesday's Game 1.
Bunting was given a match penalty on the play, but it appears that more discipline could be coming. The ruling should be available at some time Wednesday. If Bunting is ultimately suspended, Matthew Knies or Wayne Simmonds could enter the Maple Leafs' lineup.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Still delivering in different role
Rotowire
Bunting scored the game-winning goal Saturday in a 3-0 victory over the Senators.
Bunting hasn't been able to replicate his offensive success from last season (23 goals, 40 assists; 63 points), but his role has changed. Calle Jarnkrok has taken his spot alongside Auston Matthews, and Bunting has shuffled through several lines. Still, he has 22 goals this season and that's just one off his career mark (23) from last season.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Second goal in 13 games
Rotowire
Bunting scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 6-2 win over Florida.
Bunting fired a shot from the slot on a 5-on-3 power play for his first goal in seven games and just his second in his last 13 (five points). He has struggled to find his footing offensively of late as he works to try to change his reputation. Bunting can still be pest and get under the skin of opponents, but he needs to find a way to keep officials from calling offsetting penalties on him, too. It's a work in progress.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Dishes pair of assists
Rotowire
Bunting notched two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Kraken.
Bunting ended up with a team-low 12:23 of ice time, but that was because coach Sheldon Keefe was able to balance out the minutes in a dominant win. The 27-year-old Bunting had helpers on goals by Timothy Liljegren and Auston Matthews. Over nine games in February, Bunting has registered four goals and three assists in his usual top-line role. He's at 42 points, 122 shots on net, 57 hits, 68 PIM and a plus-26 rating through 60 contests overall.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Nets goal Tuesday
Rotowire
Bunting found the back of the net in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.
Bunting's marker came at 12:09 of the first period to extend the Leafs' lead to 4-0. It was his 19th goal and 40th point in 58 contests in 2022-23. The 27-year-old is going through a strong stretch offensively, providing five goals and seven points over his last eight games.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Two goals help lead way
Rotowire
Bunting scored twice, including once on the power play, in a 5-1 win over Montreal on Saturday.
Bunting tied it 1-1 at 5:32 of the first period on the power play when he one-timed a pass from Auston Matthews at the top of the goal crease. He pushed the score to 3-1 late in the second period with a one-timer from the right face-off dot. Bunting now has 18 goals and 39 points in 56 games.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Earns power-play assist
Rotowire
Bunting produced a power-play assist in Friday's 3-0 win over the Blue Jackets.
The Leafs continue to expand Bunting's power-play role, for which he's averaging a career-high 2:01 of ice time with four goals and three assists. On the downside, he's registered a point in just five of 16 games in the new year, and one would expect better consistency from a top-line winger sharing the ice with elite talents John Tavares and Mitch Marner.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Tallies goal and assist in win
Rotowire
Bunting recorded a goal and an assist in Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Capitals.
Bunting got Toronto on the board with a power-play goal early in the second period. He'd add an assist later in the frame on a Morgan Rielly tally. The two-point effort snapped a four-game scoreless skid for Bunting. The 27-year-old winger is up to 15 goals and 20 assists through 51 games this season.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Two-point effort Saturday
Rotowire
Bunting scored a power-play goal and added an even-strength assist in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Bruins.
With Auston Matthews back in the lineup and anchoring the top line, Bunting snapped a five-game point drought by banging home the game's opening goal early in the first period. He has three multi-point performances sandwiching his mini-slump, and as long as he's skating with Matthews, Bunting's always a threat for a big night. On the season, the 27-year-old has 14 goals and 31 points through 44 games.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Three points against St. Louis
Rotowire
Bunting scored two goals, one on the power play, and added an even-strength assist in Tuesday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Blues.
His second goal of the night was the one that forced OT, as Bunting scored the only tally of the third period on some tic-tac-toe passing by the Leafs with the man advantage. It's the 27-year-old's second three-point performance of the season, and over his last 17 games he's piled up an impressive nine goals and 19 points.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Scores twice vs. Avalanche
Rotowire
Bunting netted a pair of goals in a 6-2 win against Colorado on Saturday.
Bunting's first marker was scored on a Maple Leafs power play and proved to be the game-winner. The 27-year-old has contributed 11 goals and 26 points in 37 contests in 2022-23. He's been on quite the goal-scoring run lately, providing seven markers over his last nine games.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Collects 100th point
Rotowire
Bunting scored his eighth goal of the season in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Lightning.
He went top shelf on Andrei Vasilevskiy with a one-timer from the high slot to open the scoring late in the first period, giving Bunting the 100th point of his NHL career in his 138th game. He's also found the scoresheet in 11 of the last 12 contests, posting four goals and 13 points over that stretch.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Streak at 10 games, 12 points
Rotowire
Bunting scored a goal in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Thursday.
It extended his streak to double digits (10 games) and 12 points (three goals, nine assists). Bunting popped in a rebound at 14:06 of the first to make the score 1-1. The streak is a nice bounceback for Bunting, who started this season slowly with just 10 points in his first 21 games. But despite the streak, it's worthwhile to note that he was skating with David Kampf on Thursday when he scored the goal, and that's not exactly the best fantasy match for the winger.
... See More... See Less
Maple Leafs' Michael Bunting: Seven-game, nine-assist streak
Rotowire
Bunting had two assists in a 5-0 win over the Kings on Thursday.
He set up William Nylander in the second and Auston Matthews in the third. Bunting has gone 11 games without a goal, but that's no reflection of his value. He's in the midst of a seven-game, nine-assist streak and has increased his season total to 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 28 games. Bunting isn't quite back to the 63-point pace he set last season, but he's getting close.
