Pending UFA Michael Bunting's agent reveals where things are at with the Leafs right now
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of work ahead of them before the 2023 draft, which is set to kick off in 18 days, and free agency, which is now just 21 days out. The Leafs have a combined 20 UFAs and RFAs in need of new deals and we know that not everyone will be back.
As far as Michael Bunting goes, things have been very quiet between the feisty winger and the Leafs this season, even before Dubas was let go a few short weeks ago. Now, with Treliving at the helm, many felt as though the lines of communication would open up. However, according to Bunting's agent, Paul Capizzano, they haven't.
In response to an inquiry from The Hockey News on Friday, Capizzano had this to say about his client and the Leafs; "I have not heard from Brad Treliving or had any discussions regarding Michael Bunting as of today."
Bunting signed a 2-year deal with the Leafs in the summer of 2021, which carried him through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, earning just $950K per season. After consecutive seasons where Bunting posted 23 goals in each campaign, he stands to see a pretty substantial pay bump - one that the Leafs don't appear to be interested in paying.
One of the reasons why Bunting may have become a bit of a pariah in Toronto is because he has built a poor reputation among NHL officials, which has hurt the Leafs on a number of occasions, including in the playoffs. Bunting cost the Leafs a number of power play opportunities due to reputation non-calls, not getting the benefit of the doubt from any officials - even when the infractions against him were egregious. Simply put, Bunting has become more of a liability Toronto than anything else, which has neutralized any good he was able to do for the team last season.
With 3 weeks remaining until free agency kicks in, there is still time for those lines of communication between the team and the player to open, but as of this moment, it would appear as though we can expect Bunting to be among those moving to a new NHL city next month.
| POLL | ||
10 JUIN | 441 ANSWERS Pending UFA Michael Bunting's agent reveals where things are at with the Leafs right now Will the Leafs find a way to get a deal done with Michael Bunting before July 1st? | ||
| Yes, he'll be back | 75 | 17 % |
| No, he gone! | 366 | 83 % |
| List of polls | ||
