There’s no question that Michael Bunting‘s career trajectory has not gone as he had hoped. After stalling out with the Arizona Coyotes, Bunting burst onto the scene with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2021-22 season, scoring 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting as a 26-year-old.
Although it wasn’t as good, Bunting had a solid follow-up performance with the Maple Leafs, registering 23 goals and 49 points in 82 games with a +21 rating, averaging 15:48 of ice time per game. Establishing himself as a genuine middle-six forward, Bunting parlayed his success in Toronto into a three-year, $13.5MM contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in the summer of 2023.
Unfortunately, not much went right over the course of that contract. Bunting was traded in every year of the deal, going to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and ultimately finishing with the Dallas Stars last season. Due to injury concerns, Bunting had a poor showing with the Stars, finishing with two points in 13 games to finish off the regular season, and only one assist in one postseason appearance.
It’s safe to say at this point that Bunting likely doesn’t have a top-six role waiting for him next season. Still, in the last two years of his contract, the two most disappointing seasons of his seven-year career, Bunting averaged around 17 goals and 36 points, making him a decent third-line option for teams looking for a little more scoring. Regardless, because of his injury concerns with the Stars at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, it’s unlikely that Bunting will land anything longer than a one-year deal.
Stats
2025-26: 74 GP, 14 G, 19 A, 33 PTS, -24, 20 PIMS, 126 shots, 14:26 ATOI, 55.3 CF%
Career: 418 GP, 109 G, 143 A, 252 PTS, -15, 342 PIMS, 841 shots, 15:25 ATOI, 58.2 CF%
Potential Suitors
Given that Kyle Dubas signed him when he was General Manager of the Maple Leafs, and re-acquired him after his move to the Penguins, Pittsburgh appeared like an obvious fit before the offseason began. However, the team added Andrei Kuzmenko and Nicholas Robertson, eliminating any chance of Bunting having a home on the roster.
Now, after many teams have already completed their heavy lifting, three realistic options stand out for Bunting, though none of them are exciting. The Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, and Vancouver Canucks are three teams seeking additional scoring and have the roster space to accommodate Bunting. Still, given that all three teams aren’t expected to reach the postseason next year, it’s likely that Bunting will be moved again at the deadline and play for his sixth team in four years.
Projected Contract
Before the beginning of free agency, AFP Analytics projected Bunting to earn a four-year, $23.2MM ($5.8MM AAV) contract. We were a bit more modest, predicting Bunting to land a four-year, $20MM ($5MM) deal. Obviously, those predictions were way off.
Still, given his scoring impact toward the bottom of a team’s lineup, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Bunting command a $4MM to $4.5MM salary, albeit on a one-year deal. As we saw from a few contracts signed this offseason, that’s the new going rate of a third-line forward, given how much the upper limit of the salary cap has increased.
Photo courtesy of Tim Fuller-Imagn Images.