“I'm a Toronto boy": Bunting discusses Leafs' future amid contract rumours

It wouldn’t be a Toronto Maple Leafs season without a little bit of contract discourse.

And right now, all the discourse is centred around Michael Bunting, who picked up a goal in last night’s 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Toronto’s season opener.

Bunting, a 27-year-old forward, is a pending unrestricted free agent next season.

But on a cap hit of just $950,000 this year on the back half of a two-year deal, the first-line forward is due for a big pay raise next season, whether that’s in Toronto or elsewhere.

“I’m a Toronto boy. I love playing for the Maple Leafs. This is my home. I grew up in Scarborough, and, yeah, it’s so much fun putting on that sweater every single night. That’s what I will say about it, and I hope everything else figures out itself,” Bunting said to media on Wednesday.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said on Insider Trading this week that the Leafs and Bunting could be partners for well, a long time.

“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 [in] 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.”

Bunting had 23 goals, 40 assists for a total of 63 points in 79 games in 2021-22, his first full year in the NHL, while primarily playing alongside Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews.

“For him, the challenge would be not to get caught up in anything else other than what he can control,” coach Sheldon Keefe said Wednesday. “Coming in last season, there were a lot of question marks: could he establish himself in the NHL?”

LeBrun did add, however, that no contract talks are imminent. The Leafs, like most NHL teams, don’t like to do too much negotiation in-season, so as not to distract from the actual hockey games being played.

But Bunting is extension-eligible at any time and has to look no further than Matthews’ five-year deal signed in February 2019 to recognize that in-season contracts are possible, if rare.

“Now, [Bunting] has clearly established himself as a successful player and an integral part of a very successful line for us. Now, the teams know who he is. They respect his game,” Keefe added.

Whether Bunting signs in Toronto past this season or not is anyone’s best guess. But what you can guarantee is that we’ll keep talking about it until he makes up his mind.

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