The 2022-23 season just started but the Toronto Maple Leafs have serious questions to ask themselves about Michael Bunting next offseason.
Michael Bunting is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) next summer, but that could change if the Toronto Maple Leafs sign him to an extension.
The 27-year-old only makes $950K right now and was an “unknown” player when the team signed him last year. However, he wasn’t a surprise to the Leafs coach or GM, as Bunting had previously played for the Soo Greyhounds, under Sheldon Keefe and Kyle Dubas.
Ever since junior hockey, Bunting has been a late-bloomer. After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, it took him seven years to finally make an NHL roster full-time.
Despite scoring at a high-rate in every level of hockey he played at, Bunting never found a full-time NHL gig until the Leafs came calling.
And it couldn’t have been a better opportunity for him and the rest of the team, as Bunting got to play on the first-line beside Auston Matthews and MItch Marner. You could argue that any player should be able to keep up with those, but that’s not true.
Denis Malgin and Nick Ritchie couldn’t gel with those players over the last few years, while Bunting seized that challenge and had an amazing year, scoring 23 goals and registering 63 points.
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Bunting to an 8-Year Extension?
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun discussed the idea of Toronto getting ahead of Bunting’s contract and signing him to a huge extension during an Insider Trading segment:
"“I think they’re open to talk about what an eight-year deal would look like to bring down the AAV and bring down the cap hit. What’s interesting is that I think that [Bunting’s] camp might be interested at looking at eight years because at age 27, this will be Bunting’s one big opportunity at free agency, and I think he wants to remain a Maple Leaf. I think that’s an interesting conversation once it happens.” (Via: Pierre LeBrun, TSN)"
An eight-year deal for a player who’s only played 105 NHL games seems like a lot, right? He clearly worked beside Matthews and Marner, but that’s a lot of term for a player who hasn’t done it consistently for a few years.
Also, who knows what’s going to happen with Matthews and Marner when their deals are up. Do you want to have Bunting on the books until 2031?
Bunting is clearly due for a raise from his $950K contract, so at the end of the day, the contract comes down to the AAV. The term isn’t as relevant as long as the AAV is a decent number. If the AAV is fine, you can trade that contract at anytime, so it’s not like Bunting has to play in Toronto for the next eight seasons if things go bad.
As previously mentioned, the biggest question is the AAV. So, what type of contract would Bunting get on the open market?
In comparison, Ilya Mikheyev as an UFA, who’s best career year is 21 goals 32 points, just signed a four-year deal at $4.75M AAV with Vancouver. Also, another comparable would be Zach Hyman, who had more games experience than Bunting, but never scored at his rate as him, signed a seven-year deal at $5.5M AAV.
If anyone thinks Bunting is going to see a contract with an AAV number starting below $4M, you’re crazy.
Bunting will more than likely have another 20-goal season and will score 60 points, which is an awesome year in the NHL. There aren’t too many players who can do that on a yearly basis, so he should walk himself into a fat cheque next summer.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs can get Bunting on a long-term deal to bring down the AAV, I’m all for it, but from Bunting’s perspective, that’s probably a terrible idea for his bank account. He is a local kid and playing alongside Matthews and Marner every night is a dream come true, but for his financial freedom, he may look for the biggest contract.
However, at the same time, Toronto’s left-wing position is pretty deep in prospects, so the team could save a ton of money by bringing in someone like Matthew Knies or Nick Robertson to fill Bunting’s void.
They were already able to replace Zach Hyman when everyone thought that was impossible, so I’m sure they could do it again.
I’m all for Bunting staying with the team long-term but only if the price is right. Matthews and Marner can carry this team all day, but it’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds.