RUMOUR: Michael Bunting Already Done in Carolina?
One player who left Toronto under GM Brad Treliving's first year at the helm to take a three-year contract with a Cup contending Carolina Hurricanes team is the 2022 Calder Trophy runner-up Michael Bunting.
Bunting finished a 2-year, $1.9 million contract with the Leafs under former general manager Kyle Dubas with 23 goals and 26 assists. Instead of staying Bunting signed with the Hurricanes, a team that has been dominant in the Eastern Conference and was just four victories away from making it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.
Bunting returned to Toronto for the first time and scored the first goal of the game against his old club. He seemed to enjoy it as he celebrated for the jeering fans.
Michael Bunting gets the first goal of the game in his return to Toronto ‼️ pic.twitter.com/HgYkCAgyx7— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 31, 2023
Bunting Could Already Be Going on the Trading Block in Carolina
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, there is a chance. He could be the player that Carolina uses to free up cap space to potentially make room for a goaltender.
"There is word around the league that when Carolina was looking to clear some cap room and maybe make a move for a goaltender, Bunting's name came up," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. "He was a bit lower down the lineup at the time. He's still seventh or eighth [on the Hurricanes] in ice time. There was some talk about if he could be the person moved in order to create the room."
Bunting is currently playing in the first year of a 3-year deal with a AAV of $4.5 million. This season he has 8 goals and 17 assists, playing at a -9 rating in 36 games.
As Read On: Hockey Feed - Report: Hurricanes could be preparing to ditch
Bunting Already?
Bunting Already?
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 2 | 89 ANSWERS RUMOUR: Michael Bunting Already Done in Carolina? Do you think Michael Bunting will be traded this year? | ||
| Yes | 54 | 60.7 % |
| No | 35 | 39.3 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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