Bunting discusses recent reports of max-term deal with Leafs
Last off-season, Kyle Dubas took a flier on then 26-year-old and former Soo Greyhound Michael Bunting by signing him to a 2-year deal worth $950K per season. Bunting was expected to fill a third line energy role, but once he was elevated to skate alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in November, Bunting became a mainstay on the top line. Coming off of a rookie season which he registered 23 goals and 63 points, Bunting will be in line for a massive payday should he replicate last season's success.
Yesterday on TSN's Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun revealed the Leafs would be willing to sign Bunting to an 8-year extension in order to bring the AAV down. It would be similar to what Tampa did with Nick Paul and his 7-year deal he signed this off-season. It was also something the Leafs were willing to try with Zach Hyman, but still proved to be far too expensive for the Leafs to fit under the cap.
In speaking with the media today, Bunting addressed his contract status saying he was content with negotiating throughout the season. He also stated, "I'm a Toronto boy, I love playing for the Maple Leafs. This is my home and I hope everything else figures out itself. I just want to focus on playing hockey." From what Bunting is saying, he appears to be willing to take the now popular Toronto "hometown discount" but wants any contract to be done quietly so that it does not become a distraction. That could mean that he could be signing an extension early in the season, similar to what Morgan Rielly did last year.
The Leafs have obviously crunched the numbers, given how tight they will be against the cap next year again. Should they wish to bring back all of or some of David Kampf, Alex Kerfoot, Justin Holl, Pierre Engvall, Nicholas Aube-Kubel, Zach Aston-Reese, Ilya Samsonov and the aforementioned Bunting, they likely already have a magic number for each in mind. Of course, let's not forget about the incoming extensions for Auston Matthews and William Nylander the following season as well.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 12 | 206 ANSWERS Bunting discusses recent reports of max-term deal with Leafs Would you be okay with an 8-year deal for Bunting? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 49 % |
| No | 50 | 24.3 % |
| Depends on the AAV | 55 | 26.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
