Pittsburgh Penguins may be on the verge of scratching $5 million winger after bad start to the season
Michael Bunting is not having a great start to the NHL season, and the $5 million man may be on the verge of sitting out some upcoming games as punishment.
Few Penguins players entered the season better-positioned to take off than winger Michael Bunting. Originally traded from the Carolina Hurricanes, Bunting promptly brought a spark to the Penguins with six goals and 13 assists in just 21 games. That energy and production made him a big factor coming into the new season. Instead, a rocky start has suddenly knocked that momentum off course.
In the grueling 4-1 home loss against his former Hurricanes, Bunting's frustration was off. Starting out on the second line with Evgeni Malkin, he got moved mid-game to Lars Eller's third. As the game moved along, he ended up skating with the fourth line, well below his starting position. The situation wasn't any better the next day during practice. He was off all offensive pairings and was spotted skating on a reserve defensive pairing with Jack St. Ivany, a sign perhaps he is to sit out the upcoming games.
For sure, Bunting himself admitted that key elements of his game that had been so effective upon his arrival in Pittsburgh have gone missing. Thus, he likely won't play in the Penguins' road game against the Winnipeg Jets which opens a four-game road trip through Western Canada. A versatile bottom-six type who often has slid seamlessly up and down the lineup, Drew O'Connor took Evans' place on Malkin's left wing for practice. New combinations mean new looks, courtesy of head coach Mike Sullivan.
The demotion of Bunting was not the only shakeup the Penguins did with their lineup. Valtteri Puustinen, who had not seen the ice this year, appeared ready to make his season debut. The 25-year-old winger flashed some potential last year, when he totaled five goals and 15 assists in 52 games, but had been a healthy scratch for the first six this year. Puustinen also worked the third line with Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi, suggesting he could be back in action. And Sullivan fiddled a little more with his defensive pairings as well, placing Ryan Shea next to Ryan Graves where St. Ivany had been, perhaps another new look for the team.
The early-season struggles have now cost Michael Bunting his spot in the lineup, a sharp contrast to when he burst out of the gates electric in Pittsburgh. The Penguins continue to tinker with finding winning combinations as they gear up for a challenging road trip. For Bunting and the coaching staff, adjustments need to be made all around after their tough start to the season.
