Leafs winger reportedly playing his way off the team with extreme lack of discipline
Michael Bunting has had a roller-coaster type sophomore season after impressing everyone from top to bottom during his rookie campaign. He scored 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games after forming a rather formidable trio with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and it also helped that he was very cheap for a cap-straddled team like the Maple Leafs.
2022-23 hasn't been too kind for Bunting - not that he's been bad by any means, but a lot more was expected and the way the regular season ended, it didn't bode well heading into the post-season. He scored 23 goals and chipped in with 26 assists in a full 82-game campaign but he went through lengthy stretches without goals, long stretches with very few points, and limped into the post-season with 10 goals and 20 points in his final 44 games.
In a contract year, everything is far more magnified and his incessant penalties, arguing with referees, embellishments, and butting heads with his coaching staff only made things worse.
In the final 2 weeks of the season, there were 3 incidents alone where Bunting seemed to be on the wrong end of a call from the referees. Whether warranted or not that puts the Leafs behind the 8-ball when it comes to losing a power play or placing the opposition on one of their own.
Things only escalated after he received a 3-game suspension for his hit on Tampa Bay defenseman, Erik Cernak, in the first game of the series. It turned out to be a turning point in the game as the Lightning tacked on a few goals before entering the third period with a commanding 6-2 lead.
The following game, without his services, the Leafs turned out one of their better performances of the season in a 7-2 victory to even the series at 1 apiece.
From James Mirtle's recent article about Bunting:
"Contract talks, throughout the year, have been either non-existent or pretty close to such. Coach Sheldon Keefe, meanwhile, has been trying to reach Bunting all season, shifting him up and down the lineup, using the stick approach when the carrot of playing with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner hasn't worked."
"But Bunting has continued to argue with officials, take bad penalties and embellish falls. He's quickly run out his rope with the league head office, with referees and, now, his own team."
The Maple Leafs need a player of his ilk, one that has that sandpaper grit, can score goals, and mesh well with anyone he plays with. However when it comes down to his discipline, listening to his head coach, and being accountable for his actions, that's something that has been missing this year.
He is slated to return ahead of Game 5 and it's anyone's guess as to how things unfold with the series heading to Florida for Games 3 and 4. Mirtle points out the best and worst case scenarios and what to expect when his suspension comes to an end:
"The best-case scenario is he steps back into the lineup with the series tied 2-2, and Keefe gives him a chance back in his old spot with the Leafs' top players. But if Toronto has managed to win twice against this Tampa team by that point, it stands to reason Calle Jarnkrok has meshed well with Matthews and Marner and Bunting's opportunity there has passed."
"He may well wind up on a fourth line, in limited minutes, and, again, being told to behave if he wants to play."
"The worst-case scenario? That Bunting has already played his last game as a Leaf, as the series goes down the drain. That feels like a long shot, and Bunting likely gets a chance at redemption later this series, but it could come with his team trailing and facing elimination. It could come with him playing a minor role, despite the fact he's coming off putting up 112 points as a Leaf the past two seasons."
"It really shouldn't have ever gotten to this point, not with what he's managed to overcome to get here. But Bunting's biggest issue has always been being able to control himself in key moments, which is where the similarities with Kadri do surface."
Bunting can reverse his fortunes in quick order if he returns with a bang. Scoring goals, chipping in offensively, playing a good 200-foot game, and not taking any costly penalties could go a long way in shifting the balance of this series, whether it's 2-2 or 3-1 for either side.
A great comeback would also bode well for his chances of receiving a contract from the Maple Leafs in the summer as well. They will once again be bound by the immovable cap and someone like Bunting could very well command more money on the open market than the Leafs would like to match. Winning a playoff series or two could change everything, however.
https://theathletic.com/4432702/2023/04/20/michael-bunting-maple-leafs-lightning/
