No joke: The Leafs are getting 5v5 production from Bunting equal to that of McDavid and Draisaitl
Michael Bunting is having an incredible season but would you believe me if I told you that, at 5-on-5, he's producing at the same rate as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl? As unbelievable as it sounds, Michael Bunting IS producing offensively at 5-on-5 at the same rate as McDavid and Draisaitl.
At 5-on-5, Bunting is tied for goals with Leon Draisaitl with 16, 1 goal ahead of McDavid's 15. Meanwhile Bunting has 36 5-on-5 points, tied with Draisaitl. Whereas McDavid has just 35 5-on-5 points. The term "power play merchants" has been thrown around casually when talking about Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but it actually might be true.
McDavid and Draisaitl are two of the NHL's leading scorers sitting 1st (McDavid) and 3rd (Draisaitl) with 75 and 74 points on the season. Many of the two Oilers' stars points come on the powerplay, which is certainly a part of the game, but with most of the game played at 5-on-5, they don't produce at the elite level that their point totals suggest. It could be a reason for the lack of playoff success for the Oilers in recent years. Can't score on the power play if the refs pocket their whistles in April.
McDavid and Draisaitl are elite players. Let's not kid ourselves. I think what this shows, more than anything else, is that Michael Bunting is an excellent fit with Matthews and Marner. Playing in the hockey mecca of Canada with two of the best players in the league is showing people just how good Bunting really is as a player. For just 950K the Leafs are getting the 5-on-5 production of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl along with being one of the league leaders in penalties drawn and providing toughness each and every night. Just let that sink in.
Could we be seeing a star player in the making in Michael Bunting? We often forget that Brad Marchand was a bit of a late bloomer offensively as well, so Bunting wouldn't be the first player in NHL history to decide that he's a big-time point producer in his mid-to-late 20's.
