Ex-Leaf continues to draw the ire of officials with new team; looks like his reputation has followed him
Near the end of his tenure in Toronto, Michael Bunting and the Leafs faced a tremendous amount of scorn from NHL officials, enduring argument after argument that they were never going to win. As effective as Bunting was at drawing penalties at the beginning of his time in Toronto, officials began to let more things slide and give players more players some rope with him in terms of what they were allowed to get away with because they felt like he was becoming too much of an embellisher.
Bunting left the Leafs for Carolina this off-season, signing a 3-year deal that will see him earn $4.5M per season. While Bunting changed cities and jerseys, the referees have not forgotten his reputation from last season. In the Hurricanes' pre-season game last night, Bunting was called for three separate penalties in a span of just over three minutes. He was given 2-minute penalties for roughing (@ 5:13), unsportsmanlike misconduct (@2:43) and slashing (@2:22) in the second period.
It would appear that officials are sending a message to Bunting very early in his tenure with the Hurricanes that he needs to calm his antics down a little bit. While he also drew two penalties, it could be a very long season for Bunting and the Hurricanes if he doesn't find a way to prove to officials that he is no longer interested in embellishing to get calls.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 30 | 372 ANSWERS Ex-Leaf continues to draw the ire of officials with new team; looks like his reputation has followed him Will Michael Bunting ever earn the benefit of the doubt with his history of embellishment? | ||
| No, he's stuck with that reputation now | 249 | 66.9 % |
| Yes, but it will take time | 39 | 10.5 % |
| Don't care, he's not a Leaf anymore | 84 | 22.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
