Former Leaf sees ice time cut significantly with new team, now relegated to 4th line role
One of the big storylines in Toronto this summer as the team was approaching free agency was who would stay and who would go. The Leafs opted to retain Ilya Samsonov and David Kampf, but lost all of Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari, Luke Schenn, Alex Kerfoot, Justin Holl and Michael Bunting on July 1st.
Bunting's standing with the team took a bit of a hit last season when he found himself in a constant battle with NHL officials after earning a reputation as an embellisher. This obviously wasn't the only reason he was allowed to walk. His contract demands, combined with the Leafs' tight cap situation was another reason for Bunting moving on.
Bunting signed a 3-year deal with the Hurricanes this summer, worth a staggering $4.5M per season and, by all appearances, his season started very well, with the Scarborough native recording 5 points in his first 6 games. However, Bunting has cooled off of late and now has 12 points through 19 games. Not only that, but he has also seen his ice time dip significantly and his top-six status vanish, being relegated to a 4th line role.
As it turns out, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I'm sure the Leafs don't really have many regrets about allowing Bunting to walk at this point, especially seeing what he signed for in Carolina and how that whole situation is unfolding now.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 28 | 515 ANSWERS Former Leaf sees ice time cut significantly with new team, now relegated to 4th line role Will Michael Bunting play out his full 3-year contract in Carolina? | ||
| Yes | 145 | 28.2 % |
| No | 370 | 71.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
