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Michael Bunting

Offseason Notes: Wheeler, Staal, Bunting, Ekman-Larsson

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Former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler is set to part ways with his team this summer, and on TSN’s Insider Trading program Pierre LeBrun put that quite succinctly, stating Wheeler “will not be playing for the Jets next season.” But where the two-time All-Star will end up playing next season remains a mystery, as is what exact method will be used to finalize his exit from the Jets. LeBrun reports that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Wheeler’s representation are working collaboratively to find a solution for Wheeler, and potential outcomes include not only a trade or a traditional buyout, but also a combination of both wherein Wheeler is traded to another club and then bought out by his new team.

The Jets have gone down that route with players in the past, such as in 2018 when they sent Joel Armia and draft picks to the Montreal Canadiens so Montreal would buy out the contract of netminder Steve Mason. A Wheeler buyout would cost a team $2.75MM against the cap for the next two seasons, and with the buyout deadline looming next Friday the Jets will need to either come to terms on a Wheeler trade with another club or figure out whether they or another club will be on the hook for Wheeler’s buyout.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • It has long been expected that Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal’s pending unrestricted free agency was more of a formality than anything else, and that the 34-year-old center would end up re-signing with the franchise he’s been with since the 2012 offseason. But according to TSN’s Darren Dreger on Insider Trading, that may no longer be the case. Dreger reports that Staal’s camp “has supplied” the Hurricanes “with a number of options” on a new deal but that their negotiations are “at an impasse,” and that owner Tom Dundon will need “to move from his position” in order to re-sign his captain. Dreger adds that if that doesn’t happen, we “absolutely could see” Staal “as a free agent on July 1st.” That would be a decently shocking outcome for Staal and the Hurricanes, though it now seems like a once-remote possibility Hurricanes fans may need to begin preparing for.
  • A player that is looking like he’ll hit the free agent market at the start of the new league year is Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported on Insider Trading that while Bunting “would love to remain” in Toronto there “have been no substantive negotiations” on a contract extension. Johnston adds that Bunting is “likely headed to the marketplace” where he could receive contract offers that exceed what the Maple Leafs are in a position to offer. Bunting, who will turn 28 in September, scored 23 goals and 49 points last season and established himself as a legitimate NHL scoring option in his time with Toronto.
  • While the Vancouver Canucks made the decision not to pay Oliver Ekman-Larsson to play for them moving forward, it seems other teams on the open market will be more than happy to add the 902-game veteran to their lineup. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports on Insider Trading that Ekman-Larsson’s next contract “could be one year or as many as four years” in term, and won’t come at a bargain-bin rate simply because Ekman-Larsson is already owed money from Vancouver. Dreger adds that Ekman-Larsson would like to sign with a contending team, and he could be eyeing a trip to the free agent market similar to Ryan Suter’s in 2021, when Suter landed a four-year $3.65MM AAV deal from the Dallas Stars.

Afternoon News: Capitals, Howden, Maple Leafs

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Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic wrote a piece today that highlighted the nine forwards he believes would fit what the Washington Capitals are looking for this offseason. El-Bashir begins the piece by shining a light on the salary cap crunch that will leave the Capitals with around $5MM in cap space this summer. That leaves Washington with precious little space to work with, however El-Bashir quickly points out that Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha are both trade options that are finding their names on a lot of trade boards.

El-Bashir feels that Washington won’t target players over 30 given their age and Washington’s precarious cap situation. He lists Tyler Bertuzzi, Connor Brown, Andreas Athanasiou, Ivan Barbashev, Michael Bunting, J.T. Compher, Max Domi, Pierre Engvall, and Evan Rodrigues as the likely targets for Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. Washington has an extensive group of forwards signed to contracts for next season but have a glaring hole on the right wing. Given the cost and the need I would likely put current Capitals forward Connor Brown near the top of the list. Brown was acquired from the Ottawa Senators for a second round pick last summer but only dressed in four games before suffering a season ending ACL injury in his right knee.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Jesse Granger of The Athletic is reporting that Brett Howden of the Vegas Golden Knights was on the ice for the team’s morning skate ahead of their game 4 matchup against the Dallas Stars. Granger reported yesterday that the 25-year-old center had tweaked a lower body injury in game 2 and tried to play through it but couldn’t. Howden missed game 3 and given that he’s seen a lot of time in Vegas’ top-6 as of late, his return would be a welcome boost if he can dress tonight. Howden had a pedestrian regular season with 13 points in 54 games, however in these playoffs he has three goals and three assists in 14 games. Vegas has a chance to sweep Dallas this evening.
  • Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star wrote an opinion piece today about why former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving checks so many of the boxes that Brendan Shanahan and the Toronto Maple Leafs would be looking to tick. McGran highlights Treliving’s experience in Calgary working in a collaborative environment with former president of hockey ops Brian Burke. Toronto’s future general manager would be tied to Shanahan as well as the board of MLSE, it is a job that is different from some other NHL clubs, however Treliving has worked within a similar structure. McGran also cites Treliving’s penchant for having the guts to make bold moves, Treliving spent last summer overhauling the Calgary Flames out of necessity by trading Matthew Tkachuk to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar as well as signing Nazem Kadri as a free agent.

Maple Leafs Notes: Dubas, Matthews, Bunting, O’Reilly, Samsonov, Peksa

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2:50 PM: Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas took his turn at the podium today, and issued some useful clarity on both his own future and his plans for the Maple Leafs moving forward, should he be retained as GM. On his own future, Dubas said it would be a “family decision” on whether he will remain as head coach, and that he would either remain an executive in Toronto, or step away and take some time to “recalibrate on the season” he just had. Perhaps most importantly for other teams potentially interested in hiring Dubas to fill their vacant GM roles, Dubas stated: “you won’t see me next week popping up elsewhere,” meaning he is highly unlikely to be a possibility for any of this cycle’s GM vacancies.

His other revealing comments today were regarding the Maple Leafs’ general strategy, and how he would approach improving his team. Dubas said he would be “interested in doing anything” with his roster this summer, and that he “would take nothing off the table at all,” which obviously includes superstars such as Matthews. Dubas cited the Panthers (and presumably their bold, core-shaking trade for Matthew Tkachuk last summer) as an example of a team that re-structured a disappointing core in a successful manner, so based on these comments, it seems there could be a greater appetite for seismic change in Toronto than some might have anticipated.

For what its worth, Toronto’s core players almost exclusively expressed sincere hopes that they could remain Maple Leafs and not see their core group of players broken up. But based on Dubas’ recent comments, it looks as though their general manager will examine every possible opportunity to improve his team, even if it requires saying parting with some talented familiar faces.

12:30 PM: Since the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the second round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers, much of the focus of the hockey world has been on three of the team’s key figures: general manager Kyle Dubas, head coach Sheldon Keefe, and superstar face of the franchise Auston Matthews. While the futures of both Dubas and Keefe are technically more immediately pressing, it’s the fate of Matthews that is likely to have the most significant on-ice consequences. The 25-year-old 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner is set to see his current $11.6MM AAV contract expire after next season, and will gain a full no-movement clause this summer, giving Toronto no opportunity to consider trades for him should he decide he wants to test the open market.

Toronto must be thankful, then, that testing the waters of unrestricted free agency does not seem to be Matthews’ top priority. As relayed by Northstar Bets’ Chris Johnston, Matthews told the media that his “intention” is to remain a Maple Leaf, and that he would like an extension to be finalized before next season. It’s worth noting that Matthews’ comments on his future today will feel extremely similar to what John Tavares communicated to the media as he approached the expiry of his contract with the New York Islanders, and Tavares ultimately did leave as a free agent. So that is to say that even with these comments, there remains a ways to go before Matthews’ pen hits the paper on a lucrative new long-term deal, and the possibility that he departs still exists. But in terms of each outcome’s likelihood,  Matthews’ comments today have to give confidence to the Toronto market that their team’s best player is in it for the long haul.

Other notes regarding the Maple Leafs:

  • One player who seems unlikely to be signing a contract extension to remain in Toronto is 27-year-old winger Michael Bunting. Today Bunting told the media, including Sports Illustrated’s David Alter, that he didn’t have any contract talks about an extension with the Maple Leafs during the season. While it’s possible Bunting, who scored 23 goals and 49 points this season before disappointing in the playoffs, could ultimately find a way to return to Toronto, it does not seem as though that outcome is likely. Bunting has a chance to headline a class of free agent left wingers relatively thin in top-level talent, meaning it’s a strong possibility that he’s able to earn a better offer from another club than Toronto is in a position to make.
  • Speaking with the media today, Maple Leafs center Ryan O’Reilly also answered questions on his future. Johnston reports that O’Reilly sounded “more inclined to test the open market on July 1 than try and work out an extension” with Toronto, which once again feels like the likeliest outcome given the cap constraints Toronto’s big contracts have forced them to work with. After a disappointing 40-game run this season with the St. Louis Blues, O’Reilly was dealt to Toronto and the trade seemed to revive his game. He scored 11 points in 13 regular-season games and nine in 11 playoff games, including a few important contributions in high-leverage moments. But having significantly helped his stock with his playoff performance, O’Reilly may also have placed himself out of Toronto’s price range for a contract extension.
  • The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun relays word from Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov regarding the injury that knocked him out of the team’s second-round playoff series against Florida. Samsonov said an unfortunate collision with teammate Luke Schenn caused him to suffer a neck injury, and it’s that injury that forced rookie Joseph Woll between the pipes. Samsonov ultimately finished his nine-game run in the playoffs with sub-par numbers (.898 save percentage and 3.13 goals-against-average in nine games played) though he did manage to backstop Toronto to their long-awaited playoff series victory. Samsonov added in his media availability that he hopes to be able to re-sign with Toronto, who will have the opportunity to retain his rights as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent with a $1.8MM qualifying offer.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs signed 2021 sixth-round pick Vyacheslav Peksa to a three-year, $851k AAV entry-level deal. Peksa, a 20-year-old Russian netminder, has been developing in KHL club Ak Bars Kazan’s system for a few seasons now. Last year was his final campaign at Russia’s junior level and he posted a .936 save percentage in 56 games played. This year, he moved to Russia’s second-tier men’s pro league and posted an impressive .921 save percentage in 40 games, vastly outplaying Vladimir Mosin and Ilya Golubev, the two other goalies on his team who also happen to be older than Peksa. This move allows Peksa to continue his development in North America, where he could either end up with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies or ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.

Sam Bennett Fined For Cross-Checking

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Friday morning that Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for a cross-checking incident involving Toronto Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting in last night’s 3-2 win for Florida in Game 2 of their Second Round series.

DoPS has not made an announcement regarding any discipline for Bennett on a first-period collision that resulted in an injury to Toronto winger Matthew Knies. Knies skated one shift after the play before leaving the game with an injury.

Bennett was assessed a minor penalty on the cross-checking play involving Bunting and no penalty on the play involving Knies. The Panthers center cross-checked Bunting in the side of the head during a net-front battle, causing Bunting to fall to the ice. While on the ice, Bennett again cross-checked Bunting in the lower back.

Among the Toronto fanbase, the play drew comparisons to Auston Matthews’ cross-check to the face of Buffalo Sabres defender Rasmus Dahlin during last year’s Heritage Classic. Matthews received a two-game suspension as a result of the play.

Atlantic Division Updates: Ekblad, Duclair, Bunting, Cernak

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Josh Gold-Smith of The Score reports that reinforcements are coming in for the Florida Panthers, as both Aaron Ekblad and Anthony Duclair will be back for Game Five. This will be an elimination game for the Panthers, as the Boston Bruins have taken a three-to-one lead in the series.

Ekblad finally makes his return after leaving Game Three with an undisclosed injury. Before the start of Game Four, Ekblad was listed as a game-time decision and wound up not being able to play, as Casey Fitzgerald took his place in the lineup. Aside from Game Three, Ekblad averaged a little over 24 minutes a night in the first two games of the series but has been unable to find the scoresheet yet for the Panthers.

Duclair, who was also sitting out of Game Four with an undisclosed injury, returns to stave off elimination from the President’s Trophy winners. Duclair has not been used as much as Ekblad has been throughout this series, only averaging a little under 13 minutes a night. In the three games that he has played, Duclair has also been unable to find himself on the scoresheet and also carries a +/- of -6.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Returning back from a three-game suspension, Michael Bunting will be available for the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday night as they look to eliminate the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing very well in his absence, Mark Masters of TSN reports that there is potential for Bunting to not make his way into the lineup for Game Five. Masters relays on a message from the Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe, who states that no decision has been made about Bunting’s return to the lineup but did confirm that Matthew Knies was not coming out of the lineup for Bunting.
  • On the receiving end of Bunting’s suspension-worthy hit, Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak will not return for Game Five (Tweet Link). Only playing just over nine minutes in Game One, the Lightning have been without one of their best defensive defensemen for the remainder of the series up to this point. Since Cernak’s exit from Tampa Bay’s lineup, the Lightning have been unable to hold Toronto to less than four goals a game.

Michael Bunting Suspended Three Games

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting has been suspended for three games for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak. Bunting will miss games 2-4 of the Lightning-Leafs first round series while Cernak will not play in game two on Thursday after taking the hit to the head.

Tampa Bay could also be without the services of defenseman Victor Hedman, who will be a game time decision for game two. Hedman also left the Lightning’s 7-3 victory with an undisclosed injury and did not return. The hit on Cernak led to a match penalty and a five-minute powerplay that the Lightning ultimately cashed in on twice. Tampa Bay was 4-8 on the man advantage in game one.

Bunting has been a revelation for the Leafs after coming over from the Arizona Coyotes on a two-year deal. After putting up 63 points last season in 79 games, this year he put up 49 points in 82 games. Despite his strong offensive numbers, the Bunting incident is eerily similar to the suspension issues the Maple Leafs dealt with when Nazim Kadri was in Toronto. He had several incidents in the playoffs that eventually led to a trade to the Colorado Avalanche and now Bunting has had a few issues this season with various run-ins with the league. However none have led to suspensions until his hit in game one.

Michael Bunting To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Michael Bunting will be facing a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety today for an illegal check to the head and interference on Tampa Bay Lightning defender Erik Černák.

Officials assessed Bunting a match penalty on the play during last night’s 7-3 Game 1 loss. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, Bunting’s hearing with DOPS is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET today.

The play in question occurred at 15:40 of the second period when Bunting extended his upper arm into Černák’s head (video) while attempting to win a race for the puck, which resulted in the Lightning defender leaving the game and not returning. Earlier in the period, Černák had received a questionable roughing penalty for contact on Bunting after play had stopped.

First-round suspensions, along with series losses, are becoming an all-too-familiar refrain for the Maple Leafs. Former middle-six pivot Nazem Kadri was suspended for multiple games in both the 2018 and 2019 first-round losses against the Boston Bruins, while enforcer Kyle Clifford was suspended after a hit in Game 1 of last year’s loss against the Lightning.

The injury Černák sustained on the play will likely have some influence on Bunting’s punishment, and unfortunately for the Lightning, he’s not the only defenseman whose health is in question. Victor Hedman didn’t play the final two periods of the game with an undisclosed injury, forcing the Lightning to play with four defensemen, including rookies Nicklaus Perbix and Darren Raddysh, for the back half of the game.

While Bunting does have a history of playing on the edge, he’s yet to be suspended over the course of his 187-game NHL career. However, the NHL fined Bunting $2,000 in February for diving and embellishment.

With a suspension almost inevitable for Bunting, rookie winger Matthew Knies could make his playoff debut in Bunting’s place in Game 2 Thursday.

Latest On Michael Bunting

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Because of the path he took to NHL success, it’s easy to overlook Michael Bunting when considering the 2023 free agent class. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger didn’t play regular minutes until he was almost 26, and still hasn’t hit 150 games in his career.

But overlooking him is probably a mistake. Since coming up to the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes in March 2021, Bunting has scored 44 goals and 102 points in 137 games. That’s an 82-game pace of 26 and 63, all for the low, low price of $950K per season. Does a lot of that have to do with the fact he rides shotgun with Auston Matthews (and one of Mitch Marner or William Nylander) for nearly every minute of ice time? Of course. But as many teams have found out in the past, it’s not always easy to find players who can keep up with superstars.

Bunting, now 27, is heading into an interesting negotiation spot. He agreed to the extremely cheap, two-year deal with the Maple Leafs because of the opportunity they offered him, and the fact that he’s a Toronto native. He now has an opportunity to build even more goodwill in his hometown by signing a discount deal, but is also in a position to cash in on his numbers. There’s a good chance that the Maple Leafs wouldn’t be able to match what he could land on the open market, given the state of their cap and the upcoming negotiations with Matthews and Nylander.

With that in mind, it might be beneficial to get a contract done as soon as possible. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Maple Leafs have “touched base” with the Bunting camp this week to have a preliminary talk about his future. LeBrun notes that it is unclear which way things will go at this point.

He’s not a superstar by any means, but Bunting does sit 73rd among NHL forwards in scoring since the start of last season. That’s tied with players like Taylor Hall, who signed a four-year, $24MM contract in 2021, and Andre Burakovsky, who inked a five-year, $27.5MM deal last summer. You can argue that the history of those players demands bigger paychecks, but the raw production doesn’t.

With 16 points in his last 16 games, including two goals against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, it doesn’t appear like that production is stopping anytime soon. The Maple Leafs do have several contracts coming off the books – Alexander Kerfoot, Pierre Engvall, David Kampf, Wayne Simmonds, Zach Aston-Reese, and Justin Holl are all pending UFAs – but shifting a big chunk of that money to Bunting would take a huge hit out of their depth. Unless he’s willing to take a sweetheart deal for his hometown club or the Maple Leafs are able to keep the cap hit down by going long (long) term, it’s hard to see how it moves past preliminary talks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Atlantic Notes: Bunting, Heatherington, Harrison

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The Maple Leafs have yet to engage in contract extension talks for pending UFA winger Michael Bunting, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports in his latest Toronto Star column.  The 27-year-old isn’t producing at quite the level he was last season but still has 24 points in 34 games this season, making him quite a bargain as he carries just a $950K AAV.  It stands to reason that he could pass the $4MM mark on the open market in the summer and while that might be more than Toronto can afford, it’s a price tag they’re going to have to know about heading into the trade deadline so they’ll know if they’ll have a chance of being able to keep him beyond this season.  Otherwise, their plans on deadline day could change accordingly.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Ottawa Senators have returned defenseman Dillon Heatherington to AHL Belleville, per the AHL’s transactions log. The assignment allows the Sens to bank a bit more cap room while Heatherington might also get into a game with Belleville even if he is going to eventually be recalled as the lone AHL game on December 26th is Belleville taking on provincial rival Toronto.  Heatherington played 11:28 on Thursday night, his first NHL appearance of the season while he has five points in 19 games in the minors.
  • Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal suggests (Twitter link) that there are trade rumors surrounding Bruins prospect Brett Harrison at the OHL level. The 19-year-old was a third-rounder back in 2021 and has already signed his entry-level contract.  Harrison has 29 points in 24 games with Oshawa this season but with the Generals sitting in last in their division (even though they still hold a playoff spot), they’re expected to be sellers prior to the January 10th trade deadline.

Maple Leafs Notes: Bunting, Goalies, Simmonds

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In the 2021 offseason, Michael Bunting had strong interest but at a limited price tag having only had less than a half-season of NHL playing time under his belt.  He signed a two-year deal with Toronto, one that has already become one of the top bargains in the league at a cost of $950K per season.  The 27-year-old is a year away from testing the market again where his market will be much stronger.  That said, he told reporters including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, that his preference is to remain with the Maple Leafs:

I’m a Toronto boy, I love playing for the Maple Leafs. This is my home. It’s so much fun putting on that sweater every single night and that’s what I will say about it.

Bunting finished third in Calder Trophy voting last season after putting up 20 goals and 43 assists in 79 games.  A similar showing this year on Toronto’s top line could put him in a position to command $5MM or more in free agency next summer which could make it tricky for the Maple Leafs to keep him around in that situation.

More from Toronto:

  • Goaltender Matt Murray is the scheduled starter tonight against his former team in Ottawa but Sports Illustrated’s David Alter reports (Twitter link) that Murray left the game-day skate early with a groin issue. Ilya Samsonov would get the nod if Murray can’t suit up for this game.  However, who would back him up would be in question as Erik Kallgren was injured in the AHL last night while Joseph Woll is still working his way back from injury as well.  Their only other NHL-contracted goaltender (Dennis Hildeby) is in Sweden so he’s off the table for tonight.  That means that if Murray can’t dress (and that hasn’t been ruled out just yet), they’ll either have to convert one of their AHL-contracted goalies (Keith Petruzzelli, Dryden McKay, or Dylan Ferguson) to an NHL deal and use a cap-exempt goalie recall (teams get two of those a season) or use an emergency backup (EBUG).  However, an NHL conversion would be tricky with the team at the 50-contract limit.
  • While the team sent winger Wayne Simmonds to the minors earlier this week, Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star notes that the veteran is not on Toronto’s AHL roster at this time. He’s currently skating with the injured Maple Leafs in the hopes of getting some clarity on what’s next for him.  In the short-term future, it doesn’t appear that seeing action with Marlies is in the plans.

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