Michael Bunting – Toronto Maple Leafs Left Winger
Age: 26
Goals: 19
Points: 42
Games: 54
Draft: 4th Round (117th Overall) in 2014 (Arizona Coyotes)
As a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I’m cheering for Michael Bunting to win the Calder trophy, but the odds are not in his favour.
Analytically, he has a great chance at the Calder as he leads all NHL rookies in goals and is second in points. He’s also heating up as he led all NHL rookies in goals and point during the month of February with seven goals and 14 points in 12 games.
The problem is his age. At 26 years old, he’s seven years older than some of the players on this list and barely qualifies for the Calder. In my eyes, it shouldn’t matter, but I feel that those voting for the Calder trophy will favor younger players in a close race.
I know Kirill Kaprizov won the Calder last season at 24, but he had 10 more goals and six more points than runner-up, Jason Robertson, who is three years younger. It wasn’t as tight a race as this season so far.
If Michael Bunting can keep his pace from February through to the end of the season and can get a convincing led of his competition, he may have a chance at the Calder.
It’s a tough pace to keep, but it helps to be on a line with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. Both of whom are two years younger than Bunting and enjoying their sixth NHL seasons.
If Michael Bunting wins the Calder trophy, he’d be the oldest player to win the award since Sergei Makarov (31) in 1990. The only other player the win the Calder trophy that was older that 26 was Jim McFadden (27) in 1948.