Leafs lose Bunting on day 1 of free agency; Bunting inks multi-year deal with Eastern Conference rival
Another Leaf has fallen, as Michael Bunting has opted to sign a multi-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes on the first day of free agency. Per ESPN's Kevin Weekes, Bunting's new deal in Carolina will be for 3 years. He did not make mention of what the AAV of his new deal will be, but TSN's Pierre LeBrun believes the AAV will be in the $4.5M range.
Bunting was a productive winger for the Leafs over the course of his 2-year deal with the club, which he signed in the summer of 2021. The 27-year-old winger scored 23 goals in each of his 2 seasons in Toronto, notching 63 points in 2021-22 and 49 points in 2022-23.
Bunting had earned himself a bit of a bad reputation with the NHL's referees last season, which resulted in a lot of "reputation calls" against him, which, in turn, hampered the Leafs on a number of occasions this past season. Perhaps his biggest mistake, though, was taking a run at Erik Cernak during the Leafs' 1st round series against Tampa, which earned him a 3-game suspension.
Bunting enters a favourable situation in Carolina, where they were looking for a winger to play in their top six. He should have a pretty good opportunity to play some big minutes for the Canes.
